A Kenyan shrewd businessman who tried to swindle a Rwandese investor over Sh 300 million from online Company has been charged with fraud.
Kirimi Koome was on Tuesday arraigned before Milimani Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina where he denied four counts of fraud.
In the case, Desire Muhinyuza used Koome to register his online business as he awaited regularization of his paper but Koome instead turned against him and started withdrawing money from the account.
Koome was charged with conspiracy to defraud, stealing and giving false information to a police officer.
It is alleged Koome that on diverse dates between July 10 and October 4 in Nairobi County jointly with others not before court conspired to defraud Desire Muhinyuza the owner of Stayonline Sh 2.6 M being merchants funds by falsely presenting himself as the owner.
He was also accused of stealing by agent and it was alleged that on July 22 2023, being an agent of Stayonline Ltd he stole 100,000 USD which had been entrusted to him to make payment of taxes for the company.
He also denied committing fraudulent accounting by directors where it is alleged that on July b12 at UBA bank being a director of Stayonline Ltd he made a false entry in a document for payment of 100,00 USD to his USD account in Equity Bank saying it was payment for taxes.
The prosecution did not oppose bail but asked the court to give him very stringent terms considering the amount involved.
Muhinyuza’s lawyer Danstan Omari reiterated that the accused was a fraud who wanted to benefit from merchants’ money and the bond should be stringent.
Omari told court that the bond issued should be a warning to other Kenyans who would want to swindle other foreign investors from investing in the country.
He also urged the court to protect the bank UBA which was being adversely mentioned for standing their ground and not releasing a single coin to Koome.
Onyina released him on the same bail terms of Sh 500,000 that he was granted to by Magistrate Esther Kimilu last week.
