Businessman charged with theft of Moi's car
A businessman has been charged in a Nairobi Magistrate’s court with stealing a car belonging to former President Daniel Moi.
Mr Hassan Yusuf Abdalla denied the charge when he was arraigned before Senior Principal Magistrate Lucy Nyambura. The court allowed him a cash bail of Sh500,000.
Mr Abdalla is said to have sold a car stolen from the former President to Local Government minister Fred Gumo.
The prosecution will present nine witnesses, but has indicated that more will be brought. Mr Gumo’s name was not in the list of witnesses presented on Monday.
CMC Motors detained the car on Friday after it was delivered to the company’s workshop in Nairobi Industrial Area for repair.
The company said it impounded the car after its details were closely matched with those of a car that went missing from its workshop in 2008. The car had been specially ordered by Mr Moi, with his preferred features.
Mr Gumo, who was linked to the impounded car, stated that he had bought it from a Mombasa-based businessman but that he had not received all the documents.
A day later, he recorded a statement at the Criminal Investigations Department over the matter.
Police arrested Mr Abdalla on Saturday after he presented himself.
He was presented in court Monday morning to face one charge of theft and an alternative charge of handling stolen property.
The first charge is that he and others stole from Cooper Motors Corporation (CMC) in Nairobi a unregistered green motor vehicle of the Range Rover make valued at Sh18 million.
The alternative charge is that on April 12, 2011 in Nairobi’s plush Muthaiga estate, he dishonestly undertook the disposal of an unregistered green Range Rover car valued at Sh18 million when he had reasons to believe that it was stolen.
He will return to court on October 16 for hearing.
