Court issues arrest warrant on Mungatana

A Nairobi court has issued a warrant of arrest against Garsen MP Danson Mungatana for failing to appear in court to answer charges of issuing a bad cheque.

Chief magistrate Gilbert Mutembei gave orders after police prosecutor Onesmus Towett informed him that the police have been unable to trace or arrest the MP since the investigations began.

Mr Mungatana faces six counts of issuing bad cheques amounting to Sh5,475,600 from Equatorial Commercial Bank drawn in the names of Alfa Estate Agents Limited, knowing that the account at the said bank had insufficient funds.

The MP is alleged to have borrowed Sh4,212,000 five months ago from Alfa Estate Limited with the intention of buying a plot at Embakasi area.

He was to refund the company the principal amount with an interest of 30 per cent but did not honour the promise.

On March 9, 2011, he is claimed to have issued six cheques totalling Sh5,475,600 to the organisation after failing to purchase the said land with Sh1,263,600 being profit for Alfa Estate.

Upon banking the cheques, all of them bounced forcing the director of Alfa Estate Abhinanyu Garhwal to write to the director of Criminal Investigations Department (CID) on May 20.

The CID rubber stamp indicated that their complaint was received on May 24.

The copies of cheque leafs obtained by the Nation indicated that Mr Mungatana allegedly drew six cheques (five cheques being Sh900,000 each and one being Sh975,600).

He allegedly drew the cheques on March 9.

The letter from Eco Bank to Alfa Estates which returned the cheques said: “We are returning the cheques below, which were banked on March 10 and dishonoured on March 15 by Equatorial Commercial Bank.”

The complaint letter against MP Mungatana to CID titled ‘Complaint against Hon Danson Mungatana for issuance of bounced cheques’ said in part: “We hereby like to report that MP Mungatana took from our company for the purpose of purchasing a piece of land at Embakasi and thereafter sell the same at a profit.”

It added: “It was agreed by him that if he was unable to purchase the plot on or before March 9, he would refund our money together with 30 per cent of the same as our profit.”