The mystery around the deportation of two executives of a Chinese communication company that has been fighting to secure a Sh15 billion security surveillance system contract deepened after it emerged they had earlier been declared prohibited immigrants.
Their deportation documents showed the two officials of Chinese firm ZTE were declared prohibited immigrants on April 6, 2014.
The declaration was however issued a week before one of the deportees, Zou Lingying alias Eileen, had arrived.
Lawyers for the Chinese firm, ZTE, were discussing the way forward yesterday. One of the lawyers, Assa Nyakundi wondered why the Government took almost two months to issue the declaration.
Not informed
“Prohibited immigrants are usually informed but our clients were not told anything. We are still yet to know why they were deported,” said Nyakundi.
Other sources claimed the documents might have been backdated to justify the deportation.
Eileen and her co-director, in charge of Government enterprises, Mr Yang Yong alias Thomas, were picked in the wee hours of Saturday morning and held for over 12 hours and kicked out of the country by 10pm.
The two were handling the controversial security surveillance project currently pending in court.
CID officers arrested them at 3am at Mimosa Court, off Ngong Road.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Lenku signed their deportation orders on Saturday, at 6 pm to accompany the declaration alleged to have been issued in April paving way for their exit at10 pm via Qatar Airways to China. ZTE CEO Liu Sen refused to comment saying their lawyers were handling the matter. According to him, various options, including diplomacy remain open.
The initial Sh17 billion shillings tender was floated in 2011 and was to be funded by the Chinese Government on condition that only Chinese firms were given the tender.
There have been protracted legal battles between two of the bidders – Chinese firms, Huawei and ZTE, after Hauwei moved to court to contest the decision to award ZTE.
“These people are suspected of sponsoring individuals who have petitioned Parliament over the contract,” said a source.
