A man accused of defrauding an Eastleigh businessman of electronic goods worth Sh618,000 under false pretenses will remain in custody until Thursday, as the court deliberates on a bail application.
Ahmed Ali Mohamed is being held at the Nairobi Area Remand and Allocation Prison in Industrial Area after pleading not guilty to charges of obtaining goods by false pretenses from businessman Ahmed Abdi Hassan.
According to the charge sheet, Mohamed allegedly committed the offense between June 15 and July 15, 2024, at the Garissa Lodge area in Eastleigh, Kamukunji Sub-County. He is accused of acquiring the electronic items while falsely claiming he would pay for them upon delivering them to his customers—claims prosecutors say he knew to be untrue.
Mohamed reportedly promised to settle the payment within a month, but after that period elapsed, he allegedly began avoiding the complainant.
In an affidavit filed at the Makadara Law Courts opposing bail, Corporal Hillary Kisoi of Pangani Police Station stated that the suspect issued direct threats to the complainant’s life and safety when payment was demanded.
However, Mohamed’s lawyer, Pharis Mbugua, disputed these claims before Senior Principal Magistrate Joseph Karanja, noting that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) had declined to press charges related to the alleged threats, citing insufficient evidence. The ODPP proceeded only with the fraud charges.
Cpl. Kisoi also alleged that Mohamed ignored a summons from the Officer in Charge of Crime at Pangani Police Station. He claimed that on March 28, members of the outlawed Superpower Gang allegedly associated with Mohamed stormed the complainant’s business premises while Mohamed was absent. The gang members, armed with pangas, reportedly issued a warning for the complainant to withdraw the case.
Additionally, Mohamed was reportedly found in possession of a motor vehicle, registration number KDR 795W, suspected to be acquired through proceeds of crime. This, Kisoi argued, contravenes Section 4(c) read with Section 16(1)(a) of the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act.