• She had filed an application in court to allow her to substitute the bail terms she deposited in court to secure her release in the Sh2.3 billion tax evasion case with land titles.
• Wambui had deposited the money required for her release from the loan account of Glee Hotel to secure their release.
Image: COURTESY
Businesswoman Mary Wambui will wait until Thursday next week as identification details of one of the people she is using to substitute the Sh50 million she deposited as bail are verified.
She had filed an application in court to allow her to substitute the bail terms she deposited in court to secure her release in the Sh2.3 billion tax evasion case with land titles.
Last year, Wambui, her daughter Purity Njoki and Purma Holdings Limited were charged in court. They were released each on Sh25 million cash bail or Sh50 million bond and surety of Sh25 million each.
Wambui had deposited the money required for her release from the loan account of Glee Hotel to secure their release.
Glee, she says, is in dire need of the said monies to enable continued construction. It is a hotel being put up in Nairobi.
The court allowed her application but directed the necessary documents to be availed for further approval.
On Friday, when she was presenting one of the sureties-Peter Nduati- the court heard that there were small hiccups with his identity.
The court heard that Nduati lost his initial identity card (ID) and was later given a new generation ID card. The new one has the same identification number but the serial number is different.
“What he gave was a copy of the original identity card, not the new one he has. They need to ascertain the current serial number of his new ID. The issue is the serial number,” lawyer Nelson Havi, acting for Wambui, said.
Nduati relied on a copy of his original ID, not the current one, when he went for verification. The registration bureau needs to confirm that his current ID is the same as the former.
Magistrate Felix Kombo wanted to partly examine him but prosecutor Judy Thugori was against it.
She requested the court wait for a report from the Registrar of Persons so they can ascertain the identity of the proposed surety and later he be examined.
The other surety, Geoffrey Nganga, was present in court and was examined.
As the prosecutor called Geoffrey to the stand ready to ask him questions regarding the title deed he is submitting in court, Kombo interjected.
The magistrate and prosecutor had a disagreement on who was to do the examination to which Kombo maintained it was the duty of the court.
The surety then proceeded to confirm his name and identity.
He produced a title deed of a property titled Juja/Kiaura Block 4 (Waroma) valued at Sh56 million.
He said there are developments in the said property. He reckoned that he would be liable to forfeit his property for an equivalent of Sh50 million if anything happens contrary to directions given by the court.
He also undertook to ensure that Wambui attended court at all times.
He agreed to abide by all directions given by the court. The prosecutor said she had no objection to surety being approved.
Kombo said Geoffrey will be surety for stated security. He will deposit his title deed and a copy of his ID.
The magistrate deferred examination of the second surety, Nduati, pending his submission of additional documents to be released to the investigating officer.