Kibwezi West MP Patrick Musimba and his wife Angela Mwende were on Thursday charged with stealing over Sh1.15 billion from Chase Bank.
Also implicated in the fraud case presented to Nairobi Milimani Resident Magistrate Ms Hellen Onkwani is former Chase Bank Chairman Mohammed Zafrulla Khan.
Only Khan appeared in court to plead to the charges brought forward by the Banking Fraud Investigations Department (BFID), of the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK).
Also facing charges are former Chase Bank director and Chief Executive Officer Duncan Kabui, former General Manager of Corporate Credit James Mwaura Mwenja, former General Manager Makarios Omondi Agumbi, Lucien Sunter Vlasman, Ronald Petrus, Porting Access Limited and Itecs Limited.
Khan through his lawyer Cecil Miller denied four counts of conspiracy to defraud, steal and launder money adding that he was facing two other cases on the same transactions.
“I wish to bring to the attention of this court that Mr Khan, the immediate former chairman of Chase Bank, is out on a cash bail of Sh2 million in two other cases arising from the same transactions,” Mr Miller told the court.
Miller added that his client was scheduled to fly to America for heart surgery but was required to report at the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on September 11.
“Police signed the charges sheet in a malicious move to bar Mr Khan from travelling to America for a third heart surgery. He has had two successful heart operations and had been booked to attend the third one this September.
“Mr Khan is not a flight risk. He had been allowed to travel to America for a heart surgery twice then returned his passport to the court as directed,” the lawyer stated.
On his part, State prosecutor Mr James Warui Mungai applied for the judge to give the go-ahead for the arrests of Musimba, his wife, Vlasman and Petrus.
