Former Interior Permanent Secretary Dave Mwangi was yesterday charged over a Sh350 million land fraud. The former PS appeared before Milimani Magistrate Benmark Ekhubi charged with forging the title to a parcel of land measuring 1.592 hectares valued at Sh350 million, the property of Hasmita Patel, trading as Holloway Properties Limited.
Mwangi, who was acquitted 11 months ago in the Anglo-leasing scandal, is also charged with fraudulently obtaining Sh12 million from Onda Concrete Limited through false pretences. He allegedly obtained the money on November 10, 2023.
The former PS faces five counts of conspiracy to commit a felony, forgery, obtaining money by pretences and uttering a forged document.
The property in question, the court heard, is situated along Mombasa Road within Nairobi county.
Mwangi denied that he forged the signature of a former Commissioner of Lands Sammy Mwaita, purporting that the said signature on the grant had been signed and issued by Mwaita, knowing very well it was false. He is also accused with forging a signature of another Commissioner of Lands Jane Kanja, over the same parcel of land.
The former PS denied that on December 2023, at the DCI headquarters, he knowingly and fraudulently uttered to police constable Omari Fadhila the forged grant of the said land claiming it was genuine and issued by the Ministry of Lands while knowing it was false.
In the last count, Mwangi was charged with conspiring to commit a felony by allegedly defrauding Hasmita Patel by forging the letter of grant claiming to be a genuine document issued by the Lands ministry.
Mwangi was arrested on Tuesday and detained in custody overnight before being arraigned yesterday. He appplied to be released on bond saying he is not a flight risk.
Bond terms
“I urge this court to release my client on lenient bond terms considering that the purpose of bail is to make the accused person appear in court for trial and should not be a punishment,” the defence submitted.
State prosecutor Virginia Kariuki did not oppose the plea but urged the court to impose stringent terms. In a brief ruling, the magistrate released Mwangi on a Sh20 million bond with a surety of similar amount or alternative cash bail of Sh5 million with two contact persons.
The matter will be mentioned on January 21, 2025.
KenyanHour 