Court allows police to break cash box of fake gold suspect in Sh13 million case
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has received a go ahead to break a locked cash box belonging to a politician who is charged jointly with a city trader with defrauding an American national of Sh12.7million in a fake gold deal.
Seth Okute is charged alongside businessman Bruno Otieno Orienda with defrauding Marjorie Grant of Sh 12.7 Million while claiming they were in a position to sell to him 33kilograms of gold.
Milimani chief magistrate Susan Shitubi permitted the DCI to break the sealed box recovered from Steve Okute, who unsuccessfully contested for the Karachuonyo Parliamentary seat.
The break-in-exercise will take place at Old Nairobi Area DCI offices.
“The break-in exercise will be witnessed by Okute and Bruno,” the court ruled.
The court allowed the request by DCI to direct Okute to be present during the exercise to be carried out at the applicant’s offices at Old Nairobi Area and witness the
Okute and Bruno are charged with defrauding Grant in a business deal that did not materialize.
When the matter came before magistrate Susan Shitubi for ruling, she directed police to return personal items belonging to the accused persons which did not form part of evidence.
“I authorize the DCI to obtain a search warrant to access, seize the content in the box to enable the police complete investigation into the matter, “ruled Shitubi.
The ruling was in respect of a plea by the DCI vide a miscellaneous application seeking to be allowed to open the said box.
The magistrate directed Okute to avail himself to witness the opening/breaking into the sealed cash till box containing unknown contents.
Detectives told the court that Okute was arrested on February 3, 2023, within Nairobi County on suspicion of having committed an offence of conspiracy to commit a felony contrary to section 393 of the Penal Code and subsequently charged before court.
Seth Okute is alleged to have received USD 100,000 in his account at 1&M Bank on 11th September, 2022 in a case reported by a complainant Marjorie Grant from USA through an email addressed to the DCI and booked at Capitol Hill Police station vide OB No. 19/26/01/2023.
Upon search, during his arrest several items were seized and an inventory was done which included a blue colored sealed cash/till box with unknown contents.
Okute was informed by the DCI to open the sealed cash/till box, but claimed he had misplaced the keys and later alleged that it belonged to a customer.
He has never availed himself to access the contents.
The accused is alleged to have lured the complainant Marjorie Grant to his JKIA office to assist in the shipment of 33kgs of gold allegedly held at Nairobi customs offices from Burkina Faso.
The case will be mentioned in a fortnight.
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