Businessman Yagnesh Devani was freed on Monday after the court granted an application by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to withdraw graft charges against him in the multi-billion Triton Oil case.
In the application, the DPP cited the death of several key witnesses as the basis for withdrawing the charges. The court concurred, noting that no witness testimony had been presented, leaving insufficient grounds to proceed.
“I find no reason to reject the application to withdraw this case. I hereby allow the application and discharge the accused person… It is ordered accordingly,” the court ruled.
Devani, initially implicated in the 2008 Triton oil scandal, faced charges of fraud after being extradited from the United Kingdom. He had been on the run for over a decade until his arrest in August, following a warrant issued by the court in 2009.
At the time of his arraignment, the prosecution sought to deny him bail, arguing he was a flight risk. However, earlier this month, the DPP moved to acquit Devani, citing the unavailability of crucial witnesses in the case.
