Eleven suspects, including Treasury officials and business owners, have denied 121 charges over an alleged Sh1.57bn fraud involving the IFAD-funded PROFIT programme. [Nancy Gitonga, Standard]
Eleven suspects, including four Treasury officials and business owners, have been charged over an alleged Sh1.57 billion fraud scandal involving the IFAD-funded PROFIT programme.
The suspects, including Treasury officials John Ngure Kabutha, Billy Otieno Obango and Nemwel Moturi Motanya, appeared before Magistrate Rose Ndombi on Wednesday, where they denied 121 charges, including abuse of office, unlawful acquisition of public property, acquisition of proceeds of crime and money laundering.
The accused persons present in court for plea taking were Ngure, Moturi, Maina Obango alongside Gladys Juliet Oroni, Brian Kiprop Chepkarat, Ian Kwemoi Chepkarat, O2O Investments Limited, Vidi Vici Investment Limited, Jimmy Carter Odoyo Osodo, James Omwodo Ndai and Josphat Kamau Igmau Kamoshe.
Kabutha, who is the PROFIT Programme Coordinator, was separately charged with using his office to improperly confer benefits running into millions of shillings through payments from the programme's Cooperative Bank account.
In one count, he is accused of unlawfully authorising payment of Sh73,812,668 to Gladys Juliet Oroni, alias Gladys Juliet Chepkarat, trading as Mawindo Enterprises.
Another count alleges that Sh41,147,336 was paid to Brigs Agencies, while Sh71,425,999.95 was allegedly paid to Greenbasil Agencies.
