The hearing of a case in which tycoon Praful Kumar is accused of attempting to bribe Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has been adjourned to May 31.
The move followed an application by Kumar’s lawyer Marete Kithinji who said his client could not make it to court because he was appearing at the Court of Appeal in Nairobi.
The prosecution did not object to the adjournment and only sought to have the matter mentioned in seven days.
State counsel Wangari Mwaura said they had already supplied all the documents they intend to rely on as evidence during the trial.
Chief magistrate Edna Nyaloti directed the matter be heard on May 31.
Nyaloti said the matter should be expedited as it had overstayed.
Kumar had been charged with bribing Sonko on August 20 last year at Kanamai area in Kilifi county.
He pleaded not guilty to offering Sh5 million to the governor in order to get approval for the construction of his property.
The proprietor of Grand Manor Hotel was also accused of offering Sh1 million to Sonko on the same date.
The hotel’s construction had been stopped after it was declared unsafe for embassies nearby. Kumar was released on Sh1 million bond after the court declined the prosecution’s argument that he was a flight risk and was likely to abscond court.
Last year, the court allowed Kumar to travel to the UK for medication.
