A Nairobi court yesterday ordered defence lawyers in a case in which an IT expert and eight others are accused of electronic fraud to collect copies of witness statements from the DCI Flying Squad.
Alex Mutuku and eight others are accused of electronic fraud which caused the loss of more than Sh3.9 billion to the KRA.
Magistrate Martha Mutuku issued the order after the court was informed the prosecution had not supplied the documents to the defence as earlier directed.
The prosecution asked the court to order the defence lawyers to collect the documents themselves from the DCI office in Nairobi because “they are bulky”.
The magistrate ordered the defence to collect the documents before the hearing on May 30.
Alex and the other eight denied the charges.
Alex is jointly charged alongside Embakasi North MP aspirant Joseph Mwangi and Calvin Otieno, Albert Komen, Lucy Wamwandu, David Wambugu, Kenneth Riaga, Omar Ibrahim, James Gakung’u and Gilbert Kipkechem - who are KRA employees.
The prosecution said the accused committed the offence between March 1, 2015 and March 1, 2016 at an unknown location in Kenya.
Otieno faces other charges of being in possession of an AK-47 rifle and 24 bullets without holding a firearm certificate.
Komen
was also charged with willfully procuring for himself registration of a motor vehicle KBJ 426W Toyota Corolla by pretending it was valid from the KRA on December 13, 2015.
Wamwandu, a supervisor at the domestic taxes department, was also charged separately with stealing Sh1 billion from her employer.
Riaga was charged with abuse of office for altering and falsifying electronic records belonging to the KRA.
The prosecution had told the court Alex could interfere with computer servers remotely and is considered a threat to national security. The prosecution said Alex has been working with suspects outside the country.