•At the centre of prolonged legal battle is control of family business empire
•Milimani chief magistrate Peter Ooko allows Sh500,000 cash bail or Sh1 million bail
Image: FILE
Billionaire businessman Mohan Galot was yesterday charged afresh after he lost a temporary stay order that had cushioned him against multiple cases of fraud.
Galot faces nine counts of fraud and forgery in a dispute regarding the shareholding and directorship of the family’s business empire. He pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
According to the charge sheet, on January 18, 2002, with intent to defraud and without lawful authority, Galot made a fake document on notification of change of directors and secretaries of King Woollen Mills, purporting it to be a genuine document made by the directors.
At the centre of the prolonged legal battle between Galot and his nephews is the control of the companies dealing in real estate, shares, beverage distillery, bottling and clothing.
Galot is also accused of falsely informing public servants at the Registrar of Companies that his nephews - Parvin Galot and Rajesh Galot - had resigned as directors of the company.
The owner of London Distillers is also alleged to have forged documents on annual returns for the company and another Mohan Meakin Kenya company owned by the family.
Galot is accused of presenting forged annual returns in February 16, 2005, at Sheria House for the year 2004. The returns were for Mohan Meakin Kenya Limited.
The 73-year-old is also charged with giving false information to the effect that one management share of the company had been transferred to Santosh Galot.
Galot is accused of giving false information to the effect that 95,000 ordinary shares of King Woollen Mills had been transferred to Galot International, another family company.
“In May 18, 2007, with the intent to defraud and without lawful authority, made false documents, namely annual returns of King Woollen Mills for 2006, claiming it is genuine and was made by the directors of the company,” the charge sheet says.
Milimani chief magistrate Peter Ooko allowed a Sh500,000 cash bail or Sh1 million bail terms previously awarded to the businessman.
The case will be mentioned on April 18, 2019, before hearing on June 26.
Galot is also facing another charge where he is said to have forged signatures of public officers in the Lands ministry and Registrar of Companies to transfer three prime properties to MG Park without the consent of the other directors - the main protagonists in the suit.
Justice George Odunga early last year dismissed an application for the stay of the prosecution and observed that apart from the criminal proceedings exposing Galot to stigma, “there is no other compelling reason advanced by the applicant why the trial ought to be stayed at this stage”.