Three managers of Galot Industries Limited were on Monday charged with giving false testimony in court in a vicious battle regarding the directorship of the multi-billion shilling group of companies.
At the centre of the prolonged legal battles between the three employees, the family of Mohan Galot, Pravin Galot and Rajesh Galot is the control of Galot Industries, Manchester Outfitters, Kingwollen Mills, Mohan Meakin, London Distillers Kenya Ltd and M G Park.
The three managers Rajeev Modi, Pushpinder Singh Mann and Jophece Yogo appeared before Milimani Law Courts where they were charged with perjury and making a document without authority.
Modi alone faced the criminal charge of giving false testimony (perjury) before a judicial officer at City Court with City Hall in an attempt to withdraw a case that was pending before the court by pretending he was a director of Galot Industries and Manchester Outfitters Limited.
"That on March 2, 2018, at St George's House Parliament road, Nairobi county, Modi made an oath in an affidavit sworn before Alice Jonathan, a commissioner for oaths and subsequently filed in the Chief Magistrate's Court (City Court 1) in criminal case number 276 of 2018 knowingly gave false testimony, namely that you were a director of Galot Industries, Manchester outfitters Limited and King Woolen Mills Ltd knowing the same to be false," the charge sheet read in part.
In the second count, Modi, Singh and Yogo are accused of convening a meeting purportedly as directors and company secretary respectively of Galot Industries Limited and nominated Rajeev Modi so as to aid him to swear an affidavit for purpose of withdrawing criminal case No. 276 of 2018 which is currently before the City court, a fact they knew to be false.
The three are alleged to have committed the offence on February 26, 2018, at LDK House Dunga road in Nairobi.
The trio denied the charges before Chief Magistrate Wendy Micheni.
After denying the charges, the trio sought to be released on reasonable bail terms saying the third accused (Yogo) was elderly and from a humble background.
They argued that they are innocent until proven guilty and will abide by all conditions set by the court.
Magistrate Micheni ordered each of the three suspects to be released on a cash bail of Ksh200,000 or a bond of Ksh500,000.
The case will be mentioned on June 9 for pre-trial.
The prosecution has however listed Pravin Galot and the Registrar of Companies as witnesses in the case against the three.
In December last year, the High court stopped the arrest and prosecution of Modi, Mann and Yogo in the unending wrangles pitting Pravin Galot, Rajesh Galot and Narendra Galot over ownership of Galot Industries, Manchester Outfitters (now Kingwollen Mills) and Mohan Meakin Kenya (London Distillers Kenya Ltd).
“A stay of any arrest, detention, and or institution of any fresh charges, criminal proceedings or trial of the first to fourth petitioners (Rajeev Modi, Pushpinder Singh Mann and Jophece Yogo), the family members, employees, agents and or servants of the first petitioner similar to the charges facing first to fourth petitioners be and is hereby stayed,” Justice James Makau ruled.
This is after the three accused persons contested the perjury and false swearing charges levelled against them by the state.
They asked the High Court to investigate the conduct of Pravin Galot, Michael K. Sang and Erick Murithi for making the false report and statements precipitating the charges facing the accused persons.
They said Pravin Galot, one of the Group’s Chairperson’s nephews, Sang and Murithi are not directors of Galot Companies.
The three had in mid-December 2021 been arrested by detectives from Muthaiga Police Station before being arraigned in court on December 19, 2021, but were not charged following a High Court order that stopped their prosecution.
According to court documents, Galot Industries was incorporated on October 3, 1977, while Kingwollen Mills (Manchester Outfitters) got its change of name on May 10, 1991.
London Distillers changed its name from Mohan Meakin on November 5, 2008.
The Chairperson of the companies Mohan Galot and his nephews Pravin and Rajesh Galot have been in and out of courts disputing the directorship of the companies.
London Distillers Kenya Ltd is the makers of Napoleone Brand Whisky, Meakins Orange Vodka, Meakins Tripple Distilled Vodka, Kahawa Africa Gold, Napoleone Gold Brandy, Kenya King, White Pearl, Safari Cane, Safari Whisky and Safari Dry Gin, among others.
