Duty free shops no longer mine, claims Pattni

There is one thing you can say about Kamlesh Pattni — the man has chutzpah.

On Saturday, he sends a battalion of process servers brandishing papers that purport to be court orders barring the Nation from publishing allegedly defamatory articles about him.

The letter from his lawyer threatens the Nation Media Group and individual editors and writers with contempt of court writs.

But the publication goes ahead anyway, and the Sunday Nation details how the architect of the Goldenberg scandal that nearly sunk Kenya into penury two decades ago had come up with another outrageous scheme that handed him control of duty-free shops at all of the country’s present and future airports.

He had even obtained court orders that threatened to halt a multi-billion shilling airport expansion project, and seizure of personal properties of Kenya Airports Authority managers, if his claims were ignored.

After the Sunday publication and a follow-up report on Monday, Mr Pattni decides to put aside his attempt at a gag order and instead contacts the Nation on Tuesday seeking to be interviewed so he can tell his side of the story.

He even asks that he be interviewed only by a senior editor, and suggests a name. How he knew the specific editor would be on duty that day, he does not reveal.

The same evening, he presents himself at the Nation Centre, accompanied by just one aide and without the melodrama displayed on Saturday. This time he is all humility, starting off with profuse apologies for being 30 minutes late for the appointment.

Almost as soon as the salutations are done comes the first surprise from Pattni — the Nation got it wrong, he insists with a straight face, because he is not the owner of Kenya Duty Free Ltd, the company at the centre of the dispute with KAA.

“You are not the owner of Kenya Duty Free? You don’t hold controlling shares in the company?”

“No,” he replies matter-of-factly, “I sold the company many years ago.” He explains that Kenya Duty Free is now owned by a Dubai-based company owned by one Mr Arif Hafez.

Pressed further, he flatly denies retaining any shareholding in the firm or in any holding company whether in Kenya, Dubai or anywhere. “So, why so intimately involved in the myriad court cases the company is embroiled in?”

He does not bat an eyelid: “I’m just helping.” With that he drifts off into his familiar “Good Samaritan” spiel, pulling out quotes form the Bible about piety and the need to help the less fortunate.

He also offers that the myriad cases have continued despite his written offers for out-of-court settlement, the latest being a November 12 letter he says a reply is still being awaited.

He then blames lawyers for prolonging the impasse because they are only interested in legal fees. It seems not to strike him as a concern that his own lawyers might be part of the gravy train.

He concedes that he stayed on as director of the firm, but only to help the new owners through their legal problems.

However, he is extremely evasive on when exactly he surrendered the company. Another question that has him dissembling is why the new owners should buy a company they knew was groaning under the weight of multiple lawsuits.

Interviewing Mr Pattni can be an exercise in frustration. He is practised in the art of wildly switching the topic. His two favourite tactics are affecting the pose of the persecuted victim, and seeking refuge in Biblical references. (READ: Goldenberg architect wears different hats)

Another specialty he has perfected is pulling out piles and piles of documents to buttress his case. During the session on Tuesday, he filled the conference table at the Nation editorial boardroom with reams and reams of court pleadings and judgements.

When his interlocutor made a joke of it by expressing relief that the documents were not as voluminous as feared, he shot back with practised repartee: “You expected a pick-up?”

The man even has a sense of humour. A few years ago, Mr Pattni caused a sensation when he turned up at the Nairobi High Court with a truckload of documents he wanted to present as evidence.

On Tuesday, Mr Pattni seemed to swell with pride when asked about the number of court cases he is involved in and how long they have lasted. On the Duty Free matter alone, he counted out at least 10 ongoing cases.

Then there are the cases involving Goldenberg and various civil suits involving property tussles with former partners.

Mr Pattni seems to have photographic memory and intimate familiarity with all his court cases. He uses that to effect, for on almost any query on his various controversies, he was ready with strings of rulings in his favour from various judges over the past two decades.

That, of course, brings out the issue of the unsavoury reputation he has garnered over the years for allegedly compromising judges.

He does not seem to find it ironical that when challenged on his role in the Goldenberg scandal, he pulls out old rulings by judges who were subsequently kicked out of office over the suspect judgements.

When pressed on the validity of such suspect rulings, Mr Pattni retreats into his regular defence, going on and on about how he has been persecuted.

He then goes into a lengthy spiel about how he is an upright man who has never run away from the country because he is clean and has nothing to fear.