A wanted Italian tycoon and his Kenyan counterpart have been granted a temporary relief after an arrest warrant issued against them last week was lifted.
The two were reportedly charged with illegally acquiring ownership of Ksh1 billion Salama Beach Hotel in Kilifi County from German investor Jurgen Hans Langer.
Senior Resident Magistrate Ritah Arora on Monday, February 7, suspended the arrest warrant - stating that there the dates they were scheduled to appear in court were not clarified, causing confusion.
Court documents indicated that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP) had accused both the foreigner and his Kenyan counterpart of unlawfully obtaining registration documents and posing as directors of the lavish hotel.
In addition, they were accused of stealing Ksh108.9 million from a foreign company.
In their defence, the duo claimed that the allegations were doctored to coerce them into forfeiting the multi-million hotel.
Further, they noted that their arraignment violated their constitutional rights, hence sought an order to bar the prosecution from pursuing the case.
In the petition, they sued the DPP Noordin Haji, Inspector General of Police Hilary Mutyambai and Attorney General Kihara Kariuki.
The petition temporarily stopped the proceedings in 2020, with the High Court stating that it raised dire constitutional issues.
However, despite the High Court ruling, both the Italian tycoon and his Kenyan counterpart will be required to attend the next hearing slated for Wednesday, February 16.
