Apostle James Ng’ang’a of Neno Evangelism Centre yesterday denied in a Nairobi court that he obtained Sh3.6 million fraudulently from Wickson Mwathii.
Ng’ang’a had unsuccessfully petitioned the High Court to stop his prosecution. He had argued that as a man of God and a public figure, his arraignment and pleading to the charge would portray him as a con man.
Justice James Makau told him he had failed to prove how the trial will not grant him a fair hearing. He also said the televangelist had failed to demonstrate how his fundamental rights are being violated.
Magistrate Martha Mutuku released him on Sh500,000 bail or Sh1 million bond.
Ng'ang'a is alleged to have, on April 6, 2016, at Neno Evangelism Church office along Haile Selassie, obtained Sh3.6 million from Mwathii by pretending he was in a position to lease to him a house in Karen, Nairobi.
The televangelist says the criminal investigations against him are based on a commercial transaction and should be a civil suit.
Court documents show that in or about 2016, he was approached by several Chinese who wanted to lease his Karen property. They used Mwathii as their agent. They later entered into a lease agreement.
The property is a 17-bedroom house with a monthly rent of Sh450,000.
Ng’ang’a said the agreement had a condition that either party could terminate the lease by giving the other party a 60-day written notice or in the case of the tenant, by paying to the landlord 60 days' rent in lieu of notice.
He says to date he has never received any written notice from the tenant nor 60 days' rent to terminate the lease.
“Mwathii continued making demands and threats that I pay him Sh3.6 million or he will teach me a lesson of a lifetime as he has connections with the police,” the evangelist told the court.
Edited by Rosemary Wamochie
