Drama was witnessed at the Mombasa Law Courts after a magistrate lured a notorious court cartel suspected to have been issuing fake surety documents into the hands of detectives.
Mombasa Principal Magistrate, Vincent Adet while posing as a suspect in a criminal case where he purported to be in need of surety to facilitate his release, made a distress call to a number that had been listed on the surety documents presented before his court after he noticed several discrepancies.
The documents among them a letter from the Teachers' Service Commission, TSC, and a letter from the Mwalimu Sacco had been presented before the court, indicating that Saiteye Alfred Mrutu was a member of the Sacco and that he had shares amounting to Ksh484,944.00.
Further, the letter had requested to stand surety to Mrutu's friend Kennedy Amadi who had been charged with defilement.
“He has requested this letter to stand surety for his friend who is under custody. We shall withhold his shares worth Ksh300,000 until the case is heard and determined by the honourable court,” part of the letter read.
However, upon noticing the discrepancies, the magistrate adjourned and retreated back to his chambers, where he made calls to numbers listed on the surety documents, and in a quick rejoinder, Mrutu who was within the court premises presented himself before the magistrates' court, where detectives who were waiting in the courtroom, arrested and interrogated him for a few hours before he was arraigned before the same court.
Adet ordered the suspect to be detained at DCI Urban Police Station for seven days to allow police complete investigations into the fake sureties syndicate.
He further ordered the Mombasa Law courts' executive officer to confirm the details of the proposed surety following reported cases of fake documents from the Saccos being used to bail out suspects at the Mombasa law courts.
According to a police report produced before the court, ongoing investigations have indicated there is a syndicate operating at the Mombasa law courts posing as brokers to bail out suspects at a fee.
Mobile numbers are usually provided at the bottom of the letterheads presented before court as sureties and are quick to respond positively upon request.
The matter will be mentioned on May 13.
