Suspects in fake arms deal case get lower bail
Alphonce Mung’ahu
A magistrate yesterday reduced bail terms for former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa’s co-accused in the Sh39 billion fake arms deal case from Sh1 million to Sh200,000.
In his ruling on the review of the bail terms, trial magistrate Kennedy Cheruiyot said after going through submissions by a team of lawyers led by Cliff Ombeta, Brian Khaemba and Evans Ondieki, he found that only the first accused Echesa has been able to raise the earlier bail of Sh1 million, but his co-accused: Daniel Otieno, Clifford Okoth, Kennedy Oyoo Mboya and Chrispin Oduor Odipo have not raised any of the bail terms.
He ordered each of the four to be released on cash bail of Sh200,000 or bond of Sh1.5 million with a similar surety instead of initial bond of Sh3 million with a similar surety or cash bail of Sh1 million,
The quartet are jointly charged alongside Echesa with 15 counts of making false documents and attempting to obtain over Sh39.5 billion from businessman Kozlowski Stanley Bruno by falsely pretending that he would be awarded a tender by the State Department of Defence to supply military equipment.
They are also charged together with Pzels Company Limited, where Odipo is a director.
They have denied 15 counts ranging from conspiracy to commit a felony, making documents without authority to obtaining Sh11,500,000 from Bruno by false pretences.
Echesa also pleaded not guilty to the charge of attempting to obtain Sh39,544,200,000 from Buno by falsely pretending that he would be awarded a tender by the State Department of Defence to supply military equipment.
Award tender
The offence is said to have been committed on diverse dates between October 2, 2019 and February 13, 2020 at unknown places within the Republic of Kenya
Echesa alone denied another charge of impersonating to be Deputy President William Ruto’s personal assistant (PA).
He is said to have presented himself to Bruno and Mamdough Mostafa Amer Lofty as a person employed in the public service as the DP’s PA.
While Daniel Otieno Omondi alias General Juma impersonated General Juma from Kenya Defence Forces, claiming he was in position to award Bruno and Lofty a tender for agreement for supply, delivery, installation, commissioning and maintenance of integrated and security surveillance system reference number Highly Classified 20.
In other counts against all the accused persons, prosecution alleges that on diverse dates between October 2,2019 and February 13, 2020 at unknown places within the Republic of Kenya the accused jointly with others not before court conspired to make documents without authority including End Use Certificate, Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), and notification of award for restricted classified tender number HC2019/2026.
The magistrate directed the case be mentioned on March 11 for the prosecution to respond to the defence application, seeking police to release Echesa’s firearm and a motor vehicle, which they said were not part of the case.
