A fresh twist emerged in a case facing Lugari MP Ayub Savula and his two wives after the court heard that the lawmaker allegedly forged a signature in a letter that was purported to have originated from the Ministry of Health.
Judy Sirma, a public relations officer in the ministry, denied ever authoring a letter dated January 10, 2017, that introduced the MP, his wives or their company to the Government Advertising Agency (GAA).
She also disowned another letter that the MP presented to demand Ksh4 million payment.
Testifying before Milimani Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi, Sirma stated, “I did not author the letter that introduced and recommended The Sunday Publishers Limited, which prints the Sunday Express to run an advert on polio campaign.”
It is alleged that the MP wrote the recommendation letter himself and forged Sirma’s signature for the document to carry more weight in the tendering process.
Sirma was testifying in a case where the Savula and his wives, Melody Gatwiri and Hellen Jepkorir Kemboi, are charged with defrauding the government Ksh122,335,500 by alleging they could offer advertising services in magazines with a wide circulation in Kenya.
She went ahead to claim that the four payment vouchers shown to her at the DCI were not from the ministry.
The ministry had been subcontracting Savula’s companies for services including placing advertisements in the media.
The officer also explained to the court that she wrote letters to secure advertisement for the ministry through the GAA on a quarterly basis, but the ones presented by the MP were not from her.
The case will continue in the absence of the MP as he was allowed to travel to Spain with the Parliamentary Committee on Transport and Infrastructure.
He was also ordered to deposit his passport with the court once he arrives back.
