Directors of an Eldoret company charged with Sh17m fraud

Sanjeev Patel (Left) and Rohithkumar Parshottam Patel before court

Sanjeev Patel (Left) and Rohithkumar Parshottam Patel when they appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate Christine Menya September 4, 2022 and charged with conspiracy to defraud R.M Patel and Partners Limited by purporting they were issuing tractors and other farm implements on hire purchase, before fraudulently defrauding the company Sh15,844,490.

Photo credit: Titus Ominde | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • They were charged with conspiracy to defraud R.M Patel and Partners Limited by purporting to issue tractors and other farm implements on hire purchase before fraudulently defrauding the company of Sh15,844,490
  • State Counsel Jeremy Mureithi implored the court not to release the two on bond until a probation pre-bail report was provided

Two directors of a farm inputs and implements company who were charged with fraudulently obtaining more than Sh17 million from their employer have been detained for two weeks after an Eldoret court objected to their release on bond.

Sanjeev Patel and Rohithkumar Parshottam Patel appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate Christine Menya on Tuesday, October 4.

They were charged with conspiracy to defraud R.M Patel and Partners Limited by purporting to issue tractors and other farm implements on hire purchase before fraudulently defrauding the company of Sh15,844,490.

The duo allegedly committed the offence between November 15, 2019 and April 23, 2020 in Eldoret.

Mr Sanjeev was also charged with an alternative count of stealing by servant.

On the second charge, the court heard that in the same period at the offices of R.M Patel in Eldoret town, he stole Sh1.8 million that came into his possession by virtue of his employment.

The two denied the charges.

They applied for release on bond Through their lawyer Sam Maina Mathai.

But prosecutors opposed the request, claiming that one of the accused was a foreigner and was a flight risk.

Mr Mathai challenged the objection, arguing that there were records in court to ascertain that one of his clients was an immigrant.

Just because his clients were Asians, he argued, didn’t mean that they were a flight risk, adding that they are long-term investors in Eldoret.

State Counsel Jeremy Mureithi implored the court not to release the two on bond until a probation pre-bail report was provided.

Mr Mureithi also told the court to consider releasing them if they deposited their passports and other travel documents in court.

The magistrate directed the two to be remanded at the Eldoret prison for two weeks pending a ruling on the bond request.

The matter will be mentioned on October 17.