A civil servant in the Ministry of Interior, who went to bail out her daughter charged with defrauding a businessman Ksh34 million in a tender to supply meat in two embassies, has been detained for presenting a forged title deed.
Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Bernard Ochoi ordered Dorcas Njeru Mugo, a senior administrative secretary with the Interior Ministry to be handed over to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) detectives for a probe to determine the authenticity of a title deed she presented in court to bail out Esther Muthoni Muiruri who she claimed was her firstborn daughter.
Dorcas had presented to the court a title deed for a property in Ruiru which the court heard that had been used in another criminal case to bail out a suspect.
Prosecuting counsel James Gachoka raised concern over the title deed presented by Dorcas who stated she had developed part of it.
She produced photographs of rental houses which the court noted are similar to those used in the other criminal case pending in the same court.
Dorcas had told the court under oath that the worth of her property is Ksh12.3 million which is much more than the bond of Ksh10 million her daughter was granted.
"These are two valuation reports relating to different parcels of land but with photographs of the same houses. I believe there is an attempt to hoodwink the court to approve a surety with questionable documents," the prosecutor said.
DCI directed to probe the title deed
He asked the court to have Dorcas be escorted to the DCI Nairobi area to inquire into the authenticity of the documents presented for purposes of surety approval.
The magistrate allowed the request to escort the suspect to the DCI Nairobi area for investigations.
"The court has been shown two valuation reports. The photographs in the said reports are for the same houses yet they are said to be for two different parcels of land which l note is in Kiambu and Embu counties, " Ochoi said while rejecting the request by Dorcas to be allowed to stand surety in the matter.
Esther Muthoni Muiruri was on July 12 found to have defrauded Duncan Maranga Mbici over Ksh 34 million alleging her company Bellas Casa Agencies had won a tender to supply meat to Qatar and Kuwait Embassies.
She denied 30 counts of obtaining money through pretenses and forging purchase orders and was remanded at Lang'ata Women's Prison pending her release on bond Ksh10 million or a cash bail of Ksh5 million.
Muthoni, a mother of two is accused of defrauding Mbici the colossal sum between June and July 2021.
The prosecution alleges that the accused approached Mbici to fund her company for a business venture with Qatar and Kuwait Embassies for the supply of meat.
“You are charged with defrauding Mbici over Ksh34million pretending that your joint company to wit Bellas Casa Agencies Limited (BCAL) had been issued with a Purchase Order No13/76 for Credit Trading Limited (CTL) so as to supply Meat to Embassies of Kuwait and Qatar,” the charges against Muthoni read.
Muthoni allegedly told Mbici, who is a director of CTL, that he was entitled to direct profit over and above his principal capital if he funded that particular business.
The business venture was between CTL and BCAL.
Muthoni faced various counts of obtaining fraudulently sums of money ranging from Ksh250,000 to Ksh6.5million between June and July 2021.
Other indictments against her were that she forged purchase orders for Ksh29.4million for the supplied meat to Kuwait Embassy on July 14, 2021.
The said purchase had allegedly been issued to BCAL on account of CTL.
The case will be mentioned on Friday, July 29 for directions.
