A son of a former assistant minister was on Friday, June 9, 2023, charged with threatening to kill a prominent city businessman Chetan Babu alias CJ.
The former trade assistant minister Zaddock Syongoh's son, Musaari Kahiga Syongoh was accused of looking for firearms and ammunition to execute his plan of eliminating Chetan whom they went to school together at St Mary's Nairobi.
State prosecutor Abel Omariba and Chetan's lawyer Ken Odera told Senior Principal Magistrate Zainab Abdul that Syongoh, before his arrest, was in the process of acquiring an AK 47 rifle in a bid to execute Chetan whom he had extorted Ksh50 million.
The court heard that Syongoh extorted the money while he posed as a senior National Intelligence Service (NIS) officer investigating serious crimes.
The son of the former assistant minister was also charged with being in possession of five rolls of cannabis sativa (bhang) valued at Ksh250. The said bhang was recovered by arresting officer from his left trouser pocket.
Syongoh is charged alongside his personal assistant Alivin Nzomo Muthami with threatening to kill Chetan and extorting him Ksh50 million.
"On diverse dates between September 1, 2022, and May 10, 2023, at an unknown place within the Republic of Kenya jointly with others before court, Syongoh and Muthami conspired to kill Chetan Babu Jamnadas Gohil, " the charge sheet reads in part.
Muthami was separately charged with harassing the wife of Chetan Neha Girish Mehta by sending her indecent and offensive messages through an Airtle line with the aim of extorting.
He was further charged with illegally being in possession of three identity cards belonging to ConnieI lllamwenya Livole, Diana Kerubo Atinda and Levi Kipchumba Tanui. The said identity cards were recovered by police at Muthami's house in Donholm in Nairobi county.
Odero and Omariba opposed the release of the two accused persons on bail saying granting them bail will endanger the life of Chetan.
"The life of Chetan is in danger. If the two suspects are released on bond before he (Chetan) testifies he will not live to disclose his side of the story. We urge the court to detain them in prison custody until Chetan testifies," Omariba told the magistrate.
On his part, Odera told the magistrate that preserving his client's life should be the court's number one duty.
"When the whole evidence is tendered in this court, the matrix on the whole criminal web will be laid bare and this court will understand why we are asking the court to deny bail the two suspects whom the police have profiled as serious criminals," said Odera
He added that the Directorate of Criminal Investigations is pursuing other three suspects of the same extortion ring. Among those being pursued is a senior KRA official.
But the defence lawyer Moses Cheleng'at vehemently opposed the application by the state and Chetan's lawyer saying there are no compelling reasons to warrant the denial of the accused bond or bail.
Cheleng'at told the magistrate that the accused persons are not a flight risk and the allegations of life threats are far-fetched.
Cheleng'at told the court that the same allegations were uttered before magistrate Bernard Ochoi when police sought to detain them for 14 days, a request that was declined.
"No evidence presented before the court to warrant their denial of bond," the defence lawyer said.
In a brief ruling, the magistrate said the allegations made are serious and weighty.
She however directed that before she makes her bail determination, a pre-bail report should be filed in court.
Consequently, Abdul directed the two accused persons to be detained at Parklands police station until Monday to enable probation officers to assess them.
