The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has announced that the trial of three suspects accused of defrauding a British national of USD 398,000 in a fake tender scheme is scheduled to commence on the 29th of October, 2024.
Alex Stephen Ogolla, known as Oparanya, Mofat Gicheru, also known as Aden, and Eric Otieno Atanga allegedly obtained approximately KES 60 million by deceiving the victim into believing he was pre-qualified for a lucrative contract to supply laptops and accessories to the Ministry of ICT in March 2023.
The elaborate scheme involved the suspects’ purported companies, Violand Investment Ltd and Battre Africa Ltd, presenting forged documents and engaging in multiple trips to the UK to convince the victim of the authenticity of the tender.
According to the DCI statement, the victim incurred significant losses in charges for prequalification, purchase, facilitation, and handling, all under the guise of securing the lucrative contract.
The fraudsters abruptly ceased communication with the victim after extracting the funds, evading capture until Operation Support Unit detectives apprehended them in various locations including Kasarani, Athi River, and Kariobangi North.
Upon their arraignment at the Milimani Law Courts, the suspects were granted release on a KES 3 million bond each, with one surety of the same amount. Notably, they were not offered the option of cash bail.
The pre-trial proceedings are set to take place today at Court No. 2, where the prosecution will confirm the documents to be relied upon during the trial.
Meanwhile, authorities continue to pursue two alleged accomplices, Stephen Nadade and Joy Wangari Kamau, who are believed to have played significant roles in the fraudulent scheme before absconding with a portion of the ill-gotten gains.
