Businessman Praful Kumar Premchand Saula before a Mombasa court. He
denied offering a Sh5million bribe to Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko to
approve and continue building Grand Monar Hotel in Gigiri, Nairobi.
PHOTO | BRIAN OCHARO | NMG
A city businessman accused of offering a bribe to Nairobi
Governor Mike Sonko to approve construction of his hotel in Gigiri has
been released on a Sh500,000 cash bail.
Praful Kumar Premchand Saula was alternatively released on a Sh1 million bond with one surety of a similar amount.
While
releasing the suspect on bond, Mombasa Senior Principal Magistrate
Henry Nyakweba said prosecution failed to provide compelling reasons to
deny the suspect bond.
“Having considered submissions
by the prosecution, I find that there are no compelling reasons to deny
the suspect bail,” the magistrate ruled
He further ordered the suspect not to leave the court's jurisdictions without the permission of the court.
He
dismissed claims by the prosecution that the accused will interfere
with investigations, a flight risk and that detectives were still
investigating his wealth and how he acquired them.
Mr
Nyakweba also dismissed state’s argument that the suspect’s place of
abode was not known and that the charges he is facing are serious and
that attract a jail term of up to 10 years and with a fine of Sh5
million if convicted.
CCTV footage
“The
court has not been told where the CCTV footage is being analysed and
how the suspect will interfere with the said analysis.
"One would wonder how an ordinary Kenyan would jeopardise investigations being conducted in a government installation,” he said.
“The
suspect was charged under the Bribery Act, therefore the issue of the
suspect’s assets being investigated does not arise. In addition, there
is no provision that the accused must be incarcerated pending conclusion
of investigations,” he added
The magistrate said that the law will take its course should the suspect interfere with investigations.
Mr Kumar denied offering a Sh5 million bribe to the governor to approve and continue building Grand Monar Hotel in Gigiri.
Mr Kumar denied offering a Sh5 million bribe to the governor to approve and continue building Grand Monar Hotel in Gigiri.
The
charge sheet states that the accused, being a private person as a
businessman and proprietor of Grand Manor Hotel in Nairobi, offered a
financial advantage of Sh5 million to the governor in order to approve
and continue with construction on LR 91/239 into a case in which the
complainant is involved, a matter relating to the affairs of the said
pubic body.
The suspect is further charged with a
second and third count of offering a Sh2 million to the governor for
approval of the construction of the building.
The prosecution said the suspect committed the offence on August 20, at Kanamai in Kikambala, Kilifi County.
Bundles of money
The
suspect was arrested with the bundles of money he is accused of
offering Mr Sonko to have the construction works in his hotel to
proceed.
The prosecution had applied to have the suspect locked up in custody pending conclusion of investigations.
They are also opposed to the accused being released on cash bail.
State
Counsel Eugene Wangila had opposed the release of the accused on bail
on grounds that investigators were still compiling more details about
the suspect.
Mr Wangila stated that the prosecution is
yet to be furnished with the suspect's travel documents, details of his
place of abode, registered phone numbers, his assets both in the country
and outside before he is granted bail.
“Charges facing the suspect are very serious, we can’t wish them away and assume he is not a flight risk.
"We
are yet to be furnished with the suspect’s documents so that the
prosecution can be comfortable even if he is granted bail,” Mr Wangila
said.
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