Tycoon Parminder Singh who flaunted wealth in Sh15m debt row to pay lawyer
Lawyer Ben Musundi (left) and Nairobi businessman Parminder Singh Manku.
A Nairobi businessman who claimed to be insolvent in a legal fee dispute with his former lawyer but bragged about being a multimillionaire in another dispute with his business partner, has agreed to settle the Sh15 million debt owed to the advocate.
In 2021, Mr Parminder Singh Manku commenced insolvency proceedings opposing the attachment of his properties by lawyer, Ben Musundi for non-payment of legal fees. The following year, however, he was involved in a commercial dispute with his former business partner and said that he was a multimillionaire and government contractor.
Documents filed in the commercial dispute and produced by the lawyer in the insolvency case indicated that Mr Manku had received in excess of half a billion shillings in his business accounts for work done.
Mr Manku has now entered a consent with the lawyer for payment of the dues amounting to Sh15,332,220. The lawyer has been pursuing him over the debt arising from legal services rendered five years ago.
The consent, dated January 23, was filed at the High Court in Milimani. According to the agreement signed by the businessman’s lawyers, Waruiru Karuku & Company Advocates, and Magare Musundi & Company Advocates, Mr Manku first deposited Sh1 million as security in compliance with an order issued on August 12, 2021 by Justice Margaret Muigai.
The balance of Sh14,332,220 was paid upon execution of the consent. The payments were regarded as final and full settlement of all outstanding legal fees owed to Mr Musundi by Mr Manku and his construction firm Kewal Contractors Ltd.
Mr Manku commenced insolvency proceedings on May 31, 2021 seeking to be allowed to pay his debts in instalments. In the suit, he had said that the government was not paying him for work he had done and most of his projects had stalled.
But the lawyer contended that the businessman had the capacity to settle the debt based on affidavits he had in a separate commercial dispute.
Stating that Mr Manku had received colossal amounts of money, Mr Musundi asked the insolvency court to allow him to recover the debt by attaching Mr Manku’s properties. He told the court that Mr Manku had portrayed himself as a wealthy man in another court in a Sh2 billion dispute with his business partner.
In his filings in court, Mr Musundi said the businessman had stated in the commercial court that in 2021 alone he earned Sh600 million and paid debts to the tune of Sh200 million.
