Sonko asks court to merge fraud cases

Wednesday, 23 March 2011 00:02 BY ROY AGOYA

Makadara MP Gidion Mbuvi alias Sonko now wants the fraud cases facing him in a Kibera court merged. The MP told a court he may face “double jeopardy” if he went on trial twice for one offence. He challenged the cases on grounds that the particulars in the charge sheets were similar yet they had been split and filed to appear as two separate cases.
Sonko’s lawyer Cliff Ombeta accused the police of splitting one case into two “yet even statements in both cases were recorded from the same witnesses who are to testify in both cases”.“It is a multiplicity of charges,” Ombeta said while seeking the merger.
In the first case, he is charged with defrauding the Tile and Carpet Company by pretending he was able to sell the company a piece of land. In the second case, Sonko has been charged with defrauding Shiraq Sangarajeq who is a director of the company.
The particulars of the two charge sheets are similar although the cases have been slotted to for separate hearings. The prosecution said he fraudulently obtained Sh2 million from businessman, Shiraq Sangrajeq of Tile and Carpet on diverse dates in August 2005 by pretending he was in a position to sell him land.The court is yet to rule on the merger.
Sonko is out on a Sh1 million bond. The cases will be mentioned on May 31.