Wairimu disputes Cohen’s will over Sh35m left to three Kiambu politicians

By , K24 Digital
On Mon, 10 Feb, 2020 12:57 | 2 mins read
Sarah Wairimu
Sarah Wairimu, the widow of slain Dutch tycoon Tob Cohen, at the High Court on February 10, 2020. PHOTO | SHEILA MUTUA | K24 DIGITAL
Sarah Wairimu High Court

Sarah Wairimu, the widow of murdered Dutch tycoon Tob Cohen, has set her sights on late husband's siblings accusing them of presenting a forged will to authorities.

Wairimu wants the Director of Public Prosecutions and Directorate of Criminal Investigations to investigate Gabriel Hannan Van Straten, Sharon Cohen and Seth Van Straten over the alleged forged will dated April 30, 2019.

In an application filed at the High Court's family division, Wairimy claims that Tob Cohen's sister should be summoned for cross-examination on the credibility, authenticity, drafting, validity and chain of possession of the said forged will.

Wairimu also wants lawyers Danstan Omari, Shadrack Wambui and all other advocates practicing in the name of Musyoki Mogaka and Company Advocates to be disqualified from representing the siblings of Tob cohen.

In the said application, Wairumu who also charged with Tob Cohen's murder claims that she is the only widow to the late Cohen.

Cohen was murdered in Nairobi between July 20, 2019 and September 13, 2019.

Wairimu told the court she is the only lawful wife, having lived with Tob Cohen as husband and wife since 1998 before the legalisation of their marriage at the office of the Registrar of Marriage on May 30, 2007 in Nairobi.

In the documents filed at the family registry, Wairimuy further claims that the law of succession places a survivintg spouse in priority to all other persons with respect to the administration of the estate of the deceased.

Sarah cohen filed an application on November 28, 2019, for grant of letters of administration and sought conservatory orders to preserve her husband's estate.

Once she obtained the Cohen's death certificate, Wairimu claims that she was issued with a special limited grant of letters of administration by the court on December 5, 2019, and closely followed that up with an application to preserve the estate of the late husband 12 days later.

The hearing for the order to preserve Tob Cohen's estate was scheduled to be heard on Monday, February 10, 2020.

In the application, Wairimu says the will opening ceremony was attended by a Kiambu politician Patrick Muiruri and two other politicians who claimed to be owed Ksh35 million by Cohen.

Wairimu said she wasn't aware that Cohen owed such a huge amount of money to the three Kiambu politicians.

She claimed that she learned from the media that Cohen's sister, Gabriel, was left Ksh100 million while her brother was bequeathed Ksh50 million.

Wairimu, in her affidavit, claimed that her late husband used to threaten he would sell all their matrimonial property against her wishes whenever they had a disagreement.

Further, Wairimu claimed her late husband would often invite his friends to the Muthaiga Golf Club when drunk to make them offer on their jointly owned matrimonial home.