The High Court has frozen three properties belonging to a Treasury employee being probed in a Sh177 million fraud case.
Justice Esther Maina issued the preservation orders following an application filed by the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission that the properties were corruptly acquired.
The anti-graft agency had in July obtained orders preserving the accounts of Faith Tipis.
Tipis is among four junior Treasury officers the commission has been probing for embezzling Sh177,669,832 between 2020 and 2022.
However, only Sh37 million was left in their accounts by the time the EACC got intelligence regarding the alleged theft.
The four are Robert Theuri Murage, Faith Kiptis, Esther Ngeru and Doris Simiyu.
Their accounts were found to be holding millions of shillings that did not match their salaries.
The court subsequently issued orders preserving Sh15 million in Kipti’s account, Sh8.5 million in respect of Ngeru, Sh11 million for Theuri’s case and Sh8.9 million for Simiyu pending further investigations.
In its fresh application the EACC said they have been able to establish that Kiptis acquired three properties in Shanzu and Kilifi when her case was being investigated.
The agency believes the properties may have been acquired when she was being suspected of having been engaged in corrupt dealings.
“We are apprehensive that in light of the ongoing probe, Kiptis will in the intervening period transfer and dispose of the properties if the court does not intervene,” EACC said.
Justice Esther Maina, who preserved the properties, said the order will be in force for the next six months.
The matter will be mentioned on June 13 next year.
(edited by Amol Awuor)
