A court in Mombasa slapped a luxury car dealer with hefty fines after he defrauded a senior Magistrate over Ksh1.3 million.
Chief Magistrate Martha Mutuku heard that the man obtained the money from a senior Nakuru Chief Magistrate by false pretence.
He was charged with defrauding Nakuru Chief Magistrate claiming he was in a position to import a luxury car valued at Ksh4,450,000.
The suspect denied obtaining the money from the senior Chief Magistrate on August 21, 2021, within Mombasa Central Business District.
Chief Magistrate Mutuku slapped the suspect with a heft bond after the Prosecutor urged the court to issue tough bail terms noting that the suspect went into hiding when the matter was reported to the police.
State prosecutor Alice Mburu informed the court that the suspect had been hiding since August 2021 and he was a flight risk.
“The accused has been hiding since August. We beseech the court to enforce strict bond terms because he is a flight risk,” Mburu stated.
However, he denied the claims by the State that he has been hiding and told the court he has been trying to trace the money.
According to the suspect, he had been working with the magistrate’s wife to try and recover the funds.
“I have not been hiding, I have been working with the complainant’s wife trying to get the money back. I ask for favourable bail terms to allow me to go and trace the funds,” he urged the court.
She released the accused on a bond of Ksh500,000 with one surety and an alternative of cash bail of Ksh400,000.
“The accused person shall be released upon executing a bond of Ksh500,000 with one surety or a cash bail of Ksh400,000,” the Chief Magistrate directed.
