Suspected drug lord Ali Badruddin Punjani was on Thursday, September 26, reported to have laid off some of his employees since his return.
Reports by K24 stated that the billionaire, who recently returned from India after seeking treatment had stopped instructing the lawyers, Gerald Magolo and Jeff Asige.
“He was discharged from hospital three weeks ago and stayed with a relative as arrangements were made on how he should come back into the country. He has since cut contacts with the lawyers,” a source who sought anonymity is quoted by K24.
Magolo and Asige, had earlier arranged for his return from India, where he purportedly underwent heart surgery.
One of his attorneys also disclosed that Punjani claimed that he was not in any rush to apply for an anticipatory bail to bar investigative agencies from arresting or charging him in court.
This comes shortly after the billionaire quietly crept back into the country via Tanzania.
According to past reports, Punjani made his way back to his Nyali residence, adding that he had been maintaining a low profile in the mansion for over a week.
The billionaire reportedly sent a WhatsApp message to a Daily Nation journalist, where he claimed to be a free man, living without any fear of arrest.
“I am currently in Mombasa, I have been in Mombasa town for one week and as you can see, I am reading today’s paper in my house,” he boasted.
He also shared a selfie in which he could be seen reading a Daily Nation newspaper dated September 16, from his Nyali home.
Police however claimed to have no knowlegde of the planned arrest of the billionaire.
“I am not privy to what was happening. You can ask those who were around,” Mombasa County Police Commander Augustine Nthumbi announced.
On August 13, 2019, the police raided his Nyali residence and ransacked the entire estate in search of incriminating evidence that could tie Punjani to the illegal narcotics trade.
They seized title deeds, money in foreign currencies, chequebooks, logbooks, vehicle keys, laptops and passports among others.
His wife Kim Sharma alongside two other people who were inside the palatial Nyali home at the time were arrested in the raid that was carried out in early August.
Punjani was at that time admitted to the Asian Heart Institute in India, undergoing treatment.
