An Indian man and a businessman have been charged with conspiracy to defraud Festive Bread Company by forging a cancellation permit document against the law.
The two Anand Kumar Bharatkumat Modi and Keval Umit Shar appeared before senior principal magistrate Bernard Ochoi and denied three counts of fraud, making a document without authority, altering a document against the law.
They were charged that on dates between April 15, 2021, and July 14, 2021, at an unknown place within the country, jointly with others not before the court, conspired with intend to defraud uploaded a forged application for cancellation of permit document for AnandKumar Bharatkumat Modi dated April 28, 2021, to the immigration online work permit portal.
They are said to have purported the document to be genuine and duly signed and issued by the director of DPL Festive ltd knowing it was untrue.
Bharatkumat Modi faced a second count of making a document against the law.
He was charged that on similar dates and place, he made an application for cancellation of permit document for AnandKumar Bharatkumat Modi dated April 28, 2021, to the immigration online work permit portal pretending it was genuine.
In the last count, Umit Shar was charged with uttering the said document to the immigration online work permit portal on similar dates and place against the law.
Through their lawyer, the accused pleaded with the court to be released on Sh 30,000 cash bail saying that Bharatkumat Modi worked with a complainant at Festive Limited Company for one year.
He told the court that Bharatkumat wife also worked for the company for a similar period and that they are not a flight risk.
The lawyer said that the two accused left the company and they are working on their own company and now they are competitors.
“The second accused wife is still working with the complainant to date", the court heard.
The court also heard Umit Shar is a director of Panafric Bakery and there is an element of competition between the two companies.
“The prosecution still holds a laptop belonging to Umit which was surrendered to them for forensic examination and they want it returned because he uses it for business, “he added.
The accused promised total cooperation with the investigation officers.
The prosecution did not oppose their release on bail but said a cash bail of Sh 30,000 will be too minimal in regard to this offense.
They said they want the accused to deposit passports in court so as not to compromise their prosecution and to allow them to secure their attendance in court.
They added that Anand Kumar Bharatkumat Modi is a foreigner and the nature of offence involves falsification of documents from the immigration office.
The court was informed that the documents they held are still subjects to scrutiny. Note that the accused are frequent travelers and added that Article 29 which gives the accused the right to bail.
