Tycoon’s daughter in soup over alleged plot to disinherit sisters
Milimani Law Courts Chief Magistrate Susan Shitubi has ordered the arrest of Mrs Dinta Patiana, a daughter of businessman Balkrishna Ramji Haribhai Devani, who died in 2019.
What you need to know:
- Milimani Law Courts Chief Magistrate Susan Shitubi ordered the arrest of Mrs Dinta Patiana, a daughter of businessman Balkrishna Ramji Haribhai Devani
- Besides Mrs Patiana, Ms Shitubi also ordered the arrest of her husband, Mr Abhay Patiana, for forging his father-in-law’s Will
- Another director of Pelikan Signs Limited, Samuel Ngugi Ndinguri, has already been arraigned over the forgery of Mr Devani’s Will
A Nairobi court has ordered the police to arrest the daughter of a business tycoon for allegedly forging a Will to disinherit her two sisters.
Milimani Law Courts Chief Magistrate Susan Shitubi ordered the arrest of Mrs Dinta Patiana, a daughter of businessman Balkrishna Ramji Haribhai Devani, who died in 2019.
Besides Mrs Patiana, Ms Shitubi also ordered the arrest of her husband, Mr Abhay Patiana, for forging his father-in-law’s Will with the intention of altering it on June 5, 2019.
Mr Devani was the proprietor of Pelikan Signs Limited which puts up signs on Kenyan roads.
The magistrate also ordered the arrest of a former banker and director of Pelikan, Ms Addah Nduta Ndambuki.
Another director of Pelikan Signs Limited, Samuel Ngugi Ndinguri, has already been arraigned over the forgery of Mr Devani’s Will.
He is accused of swearing a false affidavit and filing a fake list of Pelikan Signs Ltd directors at the Registrar of Companies in November 2019.
A State prosecutor told Ms Shitubi that Mrs Patiana together with her husband and Mr Ndambuki were directors of Pelikan without shareholding, but allegedly conspired to alter the codicil of Mr Devani’s Will to allocate themselves shares in Pelikan.
The court heard that the altering of the Will vested Pelikan shareholding to Mrs Patiana, Mr Patiana, Mr Ndinguri, and Ms Ndambuki.
Mr Devani, the magistrate heard, had companies and properties in Nairobi and Kiambu counties.
Police had summoned the four to appear in court to answer eight counts of forgery, but only Mr Ndinguri showed up.
All the suspects are out on a Sh50,000 police cash bail.
Mr Ndinguri denied four counts of altering the codicil of the Will by transferring the shares of Pelikan Roads Signs Limited without authority.
The magistrate heard that the four, allegedly altered Mr Devani’s Will when they were not administrators to the deceased estate.
Mr Ndinguri was charged with filling an affidavit in a succession matter of the estate of the tycoon.
Ms Shitubi was told by the prosecutor that the accused and others filed the said affidavit in the succession case in a bid to defeat justice.
The magistrate heard there is a pending succession case over the estate of the industrialist.
Mr Ndinguri, who is jointly charged with three co-accused who did not appear in court, denied falsifying the High Court case documents to change the codicil of the Will of Devani dated June 5, 2019.
Mr Ndinguri denied that on November 2, 2019, at Pelikan Signs Limited in Nairobi, he forged minutes of the board of directors of the company purporting them to be genuine.
All the four are charged with conspiring to forge the codicil of the Will left behind by Devani who died on June 5, 2019.
The accused denied the charges and applied to be released on bond which was not opposed by the prosecution.
Ms Shitubi freed the accused on a bond of Sh3 million with a surety of the same amount or alternative cash bail of Sh1 million with two contact persons.
The matter will be mentioned on May 6 for pre-trial and further directions.
