Rashid Echesa has responded to DCI after leaked information first posted on Kenyanbulletin.com that he took the confiscated vehicle from an alleged sugar mommy. He also happened to have shared the conjugal apple with the daughter to the widow.
Kenyan Bulletin has once again dived into the underworld and brought you the information about where former Sports CS Rashid Echesa got all those vehicles that DCI confiscated today.
“Achesa was a close friend to Patrick Akifuma but immediately when Patrick died, Achesa took all the cars from his widow. He took three cars. The Toyota V8 was white but he changed the colour to black”, the source theorized.
Earlier today, the local media showed police officers in civilian clothing scaling the walls of the former CSs home. They took away five cars and arrested the school drop out CS for fraudulently acquiring VX Land cruiser.
The former CS insisted he could not allow them in because his lawyer was not around at the time.
He is being investigated in relation to another car dealing case in which three people have accused him of fraud.
Echesa is also a prime suspect in the gun scandal case in which two arms dealers from the US and Poland have filed a case of fraud against him alongside other co-accused. On February 17, 2020, Echesa and three co-accused persons have pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of fraud at the Milimani Law Courts.
Daniel Otieno Omondi, Kennedy Oyoo Mboya, and Clifford Okoth denied 12 counts of fraud-related charges.The Ex-CS has been accused of duping Eco Advanced Technologies that he would help them secure an arms tender at the Ministry of Defence, a deal in which he is accused of pocketing Sh11.5 million as consultancy fees.
The prosecution sought to file an additional affidavit which was opposed by Echesa’s lawyer Evans Ondieki who argued that the defence was not furnished and notified in due time.
He told the court that any introduction of fresh orders would undermine the JKIA court, where Magistrate Lucas Onyona released his client on Sh1 million cash bail. On its defence, the prosecution said that it was presenting a charge sheet, hence it would not contradict and disrespect the JKIA court.
While referring to comments made by Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu over the matter, Ondieki argued that the court should intervene and stop those already prosecuting the case on social media.
“There is a lot of political interference in the case which is meant to implicate the DP who is not in the case. This is political persecution and should go on record. Witnesses are defence and police officers, who can go to interfere with the defence officers your honour?” he asked.
The prosecution is seeking to open up a case against the four.The former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa and his three co-accused were on Friday each granted a Sh1million cash bail in a case involving an alleged fraudulent arms deal.They were remanded at Muthaiga Police Station to give police time to complete investigating the case.
Sleuths from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) were to use the time to search their homes, after which Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Magistrate Court’s Lucas Onyona ordered that they be released.
Magistrate Onyona also barred the accused four from contacting any of the witnesses lined up for the case.Prosecutors had requested the court that they be held for 21 days so that detectives could travel to the United States to check the authenticity of the documents found in the ex-CS’s car.The documents were allegedly used in a fake tender deal to supply the government with military surveillance equipment, guns, and ammunition.
Echesa was arrested following a complaint by two gun dealers who claimed he had swindled them Sh11.5 million they had paid as ‘consultancy fees’.The foreigners from the US and Poland-based Eco Advanced Technologies LLC claimed the former CS had promised to use his influence to help them secure the multi-billion-shilling security tender.
It also emerged that one of the American merchants keen to win the tender to supply guns and ammunition had been hosted by the former CS at Harambee House Annex Building, where Deputy President has his office.Police visited the building and recovered copies of the documents that Echesa had allegedly given to the investors.
“He has even been hosting them in a government boardroom claiming he would help secure the said tender,” said Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti.
Echesa argues his arrest is politically motivated and linked to the ongoing debate on the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).His lawyer Evans Ondieki, in his opposition against the prosecution’s request to detain him longer, argued against the timing of the arrest. He held that the office of the DCI was being used to wage political battles. Echesa was released on a Sh2 million cash bail.
On Sunday, DP Ruto appeared to accept that the meeting may have happened at his office but he had nothing to do with it. He called on the investigators to relook their scope of probe and focus on other departments especially in the Ministry of Defence.He tweeted:
“ODP does not procure for any ministry/department. Question: other than 23min in Annex, for months, which government offices involved in the ‘tender’ did the scammers visit? Did they access DOD? Who facilitated? Who did they meet? Get the truth. Forget the sponsored nonsense in media.”
Ruto’s admission came after it emerged police had raided his office and taken away CCTV footage that captured the events at the office last Thursday. The footage, according to those who had seen it, shows the two arms dealers – an American and an Egyptian – who were representing Eco Advanced Technologies that is seeking to supply the military hardware to Kenya, being ushered into the office.The officers from the Serious Crimes Unit on Monday went to the DP’s office to collect evidence. The officers were in the company of two directors of the companies (Egyptian and American) who were involved in identifying staff privy to the deal.
Echesa and three others were granted Sh1 million bail on February 17 after denying all the charges of extorting money from foreigners whom be had lied to that he will facilitate purchase of military equipment.
