The prosecution has been given three days to comply with court directions requiring it to verify whether four Chinese nationals accused of stealing Sh22 million from Bang Bet Company Limited were legally in Kenya.
The four suspects Xiaolin Gu, Guodong Fu, Xiaopeng Gu and Wenji Gao have been in police custody for nearly a month following an application by the prosecution seeking to have their detention extended. The suspects are represented by Senior Counsel Charles Kanjama, who was represented in court on Monday by his associate, Advocate Samuel Wesonga.
Wesonga opposed an application by the prosecution seeking a further seven days to detain the suspects to enable the State to establish the authenticity of their immigration status. The lawyer argued that the verification could be completed within a day by the Immigration Department. He urged the court to release the four suspects on bond, arguing that the prosecution had not provided sufficient evidence to demonstrate that they posed a flight risk.
The State, however, filed an affidavit opposing their release, arguing that the suspects could flee the country and fail to return to court to face trial if granted bond. Prosecutors asked the court to consider the nature of the allegations and the circumstances surrounding the case before making a decision on bond.
The defence maintained that there were adequate safeguards to ensure the suspects remained within the court’s jurisdiction. Kanjama, in an affidavit filed in support of their release, argued that the prosecution had failed to demonstrate compelling reasons to justify continued detention. He further pointed out that the State was already holding the suspects’ passports, making it difficult for them to leave Kenya.
The defence therefore urged the court to grant the four accused persons bond, saying they were willing to comply with any conditions imposed by the court. The court has now given the prosecution three days to comply with the directions on verification of the suspects’ immigration status.
The matter will be mentioned on October 1, 2026, for further directions.
