EACC rejects Deepak Kamani's plea to stop case

NAIROBI: The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has asked the court not to temporarily halt the graft case against controversial businessman Deepak Kamani and two members of his family.

The anti-graft watchdog, in its court papers filed Tuesday, asked the court to dismiss the application by Mr Kamani, his father Chamanlal and brother Rashmi, saying they would not suffer any harm if the case they are facing before the Magistrate's Court is not stopped.

EACC Forensic Investigator John Kiilu, in his reply to the case before High Court judge George Odunga, said the three had a case to answer in regard the multi-billion shilling scam.

"It is apparent from the evidence available that the alleged contract is no more than a tool to illegally access and acquire public funds and cannot be seen otherwise than in the wider context of fraud," Kiilu replied.

He told the court that he had gathered evidence that the Kamanis had acquired companies in foreign countries which claimed to finance the Government in its high-value security projects and dodged procurement laws to clinch them.

The investigator told the court that Government officials acted as insiders adding that they vouched for the two companies ran by the Kamani family (Infotalent Ltd and Sound Day Corporation) to get the contracts on a single sourcing basis.

He said his investigations further revealed that the company had not been registered with the registrar of companies.

Kiilu also said a trail of the company's activities revealed that it held a bank account in Switzerland, which was inactive and the monies held there were two installments paid by the Government only.

"There were no other funds in the account of Infotalent Ltd," he said.

The contract between the State and the company, according to Kiilu was awarded without any negotiations on the price and the scope of work it was to cover.

"The fraudulent procurement scheme was designed to defraud the tax payers," he said.