Yatani's kin requests for more time to file response in graft case

Former Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani’s nephew, who is under investigation over graft allegations in Marsabit County was on Wednesday granted two weeks to file his pleadings in a lawsuit filed by the anti-graft body.

Justice Esther Maina of the Milimani Anti-Corruption High Court granted Yatani’s nephew Ibrae Doko Yatani 14 days to file a supplementary affidavit on the suit filed by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) seeking to investigate him over irregularly receiving Sh71.7 million from the County Government of Marsabit through his company Al Habib Enterprises.

The judge gave Doko two weeks after his lawyer Abdikadir Abdikadir informed the court that EACC had served his client with the lawsuit papers and needed more time to file a supplementary affidavit before the case could be fixed for hearing.

Maina also granted the Commission 14 days to also file its written submission before mention on July 8, 2023.

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The court directions came after Justice Maina on May 6, 2024 ordered the preservation of Sh 61.2 million seized from Doko’s house by EACC detectives during a raid on April 24, 2024.

Maina allowed EACC to detain the money in 100-dollar notes for six months, pending investigation over graft allegations linked to the Marsabit county government.

The orders to preserve the monies belonging to Doko came after High Court judge Nixon Sifuna on April 30, 2024 declined a plea by Yatani to block EACC from investigating him over claims of embezzlement of public funds amounting to Sh1.2 billion during his tenure as Marsabit governor.

The Commission through lawyer Jackie Kibogy urged the judge to issue preservation orders for the cash found at Doko’s house by EACC detectives since he is being investigated over irregularly receiving Sh71.7 million from Marsabit through his firm, Al Habib Enterprises.

“EACC is undertaking investigations under Inquiry File No. EACC/PI/INQ/32/2023 into allegations of embezzlement of public funds, procurement irregularities and irregular award of tenders by the County Government of Marsabit in the financial years 2013 – 2024 and preliminary investigations reveal that during the period of interest, the respondent through his company Al Habib Enterprises, irregularly received Sh 71,790,897 from the County Government of Marsabit,” Kibogy told the court.

The commission says that there is reasonable suspicion that such huge amounts of cash in foreign currency kept in Doko’s house are proceeds of corruption or unexplained wealth or that he is engaged in money laundering hence the need to investigate the source.