A retired Kenya Airways captain told a Nairobi court that he lost Sh2.9 million to a neighbour who claimed he had a Mercedes Benz car for sale.
Patrick Karanja said businessman Newton Kigera Jermaine had posted the vehicle's photograph on WhatsApp.
Karanja told senior Kibera resident magistrate Boaz Ombewa that Kigera claimed the vehicle whose picture he had sent him on Whatsup had arrived at the Mombasa port and he would receive it shortly.
“I never received the vehicle despite paying the money. I only received some pictures of four Mercedes Benzes at the port from the accused. He told me that the vehicle had already arrived in Mombasa,” he said.
Karanja said the accused was well known to him as they were neighbours. He said Kigera had tried to convince him to solve the matter out of court but he never made the effort to refund his money.
“Just outside here, the accused asked me why can’t we solve this matter outside the court.”
Kigera has denied obtaining Sh2.9 million from Karanja by false pretences between October and December 2017.
He is out on a Sh1 million bond.
