Court acquits man accused of defrauding Mungatana of Sh76 million
Abdoulaye Tamba Kouro before a Nairobi Court in 2018.
A herbalist accused of defrauding Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana of Sh76 million in a fake oil deal scandal has been acquitted.
Chadian Abdoulaye Tamba Kouro was charged with fraudulently obtaining Sh76 million from Mungatana between April 20, 2011 and April 29, 2013 in Hurlingham, Nairobi, claiming he could invest the money in the oil industry.
Mungatana previously testified that he sold property, took out loans and borrowed money from family and friends to invest in the business.
However, shortly after receiving the money, Kouro switched off his phone and disappeared, putting Mungatana's children's education and his family's well-being at risk.
But Milimani Senior Resident Magistrate Ben Mark Ekhubi said the prosecution had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Kouro had defrauded Mungatana.
However, Kouro was convicted of defrauding Makau Muteke of $6,796 (about Sh700,000 at the time and worth about Sh1 million today) on March 9, 2017, claiming he could invest it in a business.
He was also convicted of being in possession of counterfeit currency amounting to Sh960,120,000.
Police recovered $54,000 and €22,400 in fake currency on October 1, 2018 when they arrested Kouro at his Sandalwood apartment along Brookside Drive in Westlands, Nairobi.
The accused is currently being held at Industrial Area Prison and will be produced in court for sentencing.
The prosecution had earlier successfully argued an application to have his bail revoked after he skipped court appearances on several occasions.
