Lawyer wants Nairobi Senator Gedion Mbuvi probed over Sh16m fraud case

Nairobi Senator Gedion Mbuvi

Sunday, March 30th 2014

Kenya: The war of words between Nairobi Senator Gedion Mbuvi alias Sonko and a Mombasa advocate escalated on Sunday with the lawyer calling for the politician to be investigated over a Sh16 million fraud case.
Lucy Momanyi told The Standard on Sunday that police conducted a shoddy investigation that, allegedly let Mbuvi of the hook, a claim the senator denies insisting that although he recorded a statement with police in the mid-2010 matter, he was cleared by investigators and therefore has no connection with the man who was eventually charged with swindling Sh16 million from a German investor in an alleged false land sale.

The Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions yesterday, Mr Jacob Ondari, yesterday told The Standard that the lawyer who is holding brief for the investor, raised complaints about the alleged shoddy police probe and claimed there was a massive cover-up.
Ondari added that after Mrs  Momanyi complained to the former Provincial CID officer  in May 10 2010 alleging a cover-up, he ordered a thorough investigation but added that he did not know whether police found her claims to be true.
On Sunday, Sonko maintained that police cleared him in the matter as Momanyi insisted that the senator benefitted from the Sh16 million alongside Ruwa Mwaruwa Kurera, the sole suspect in case.
She also claimed that there is a photograph of Mbuvi with Ruwa seated together in a bank allegedly waiting for the transfer of the  Sh16 million to be completed, a claim Mbuvi denied declaring: “I am not the one in that picture.”
An ID card used in the land transaction bears the names Mike Munga Kurera under ID number 12903108 and police say the portrait on the document is the senator’s but Mbuvi again denies this. “I deny that the copy of the identity card belongs to me and I do not know anything regarding the alleged transaction of selling of the said land to Shanzu Beach Plots,” Mbuvi says in a statement recorded on October 16 2010.
Last month the lawyer recorded a statement with the police claiming that Mbuvi had threatened her  via cellphone  for pushing for his prosecution. Sonko yesterday admitted speaking with the lawyer “on a different matter”.