Court acquits Jimi Wanjigi, wife, and four others in Sh56m land fraud case

Businessman Jimi Wanjigi with his wife at a Milimani court on May 16, 2023. [Collins Kweyu, Standard]

Businessman Jimi Wanjigi, his wife Irene Nzisa, and six other people have been acquitted by a Nairobi Court of charges related to land fraud.

The State through the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) withdrew the charges after indicating the lack of evidence to sustain the charges.

Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Benard Ochoi allowed DPP Noordin Haji's application seeking to withdraw the charges against the accused charged alongside Wanjigi who included his wife, Himanshu Velji Dodhia, Kaneez Noorani, Mohamed Hussein Noorani, Mohamed Hussanali, Kairu Augustine Thuo, and John Nyanjua Njenga.

DPP told the court that the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) reviewed the evidence in the land case and established that the real perpetrators of fraud are 11 other persons who have already been charged.

As a consequence, he advised the DPP to terminate the case against Wanjigi and seven others.

Wanjigi and the other accused will be treated as State witnesses.

They were allegedly accused of committing the offence jointly, on June 21, 2018, at Nairobi city center with the intent to defraud and obtain Sh56 million.

They were further accused of forging a title deed for the said land dated July 20, 1993, under the name of Horizon Hills Ltd.

The withdrawn charge sheet stated that they committed the offence on diverse dates between April 9, 2010, and June 5, 2018, at an unknown place jointly with others not before the court.

They were also accused of forging a Deed plan under the name of Dodhia Foam ltd purporting it to be a genuine and valid Deed plan signed by survivor Gs Gitau and forging a grant for the above land under the name of Dodhia Foam Ltd purporting it to be genuine and valid Grant issued and signed by Commissioner of Lands Wilson Gacanja.

Speaking outside court, Wanjigi cautioned the government against dragging families to court on frivolous claims. He said his wife was dragged into the case by the former administration for no reason.

The politician flanked by his wife and their lawyer Willis Otieno narrated how police invaded his home and offices at night harassing them.

"We were harassed as a family for no reason including my 91-year-old father- in a case he is not involved in. This was all political witch-hunt," claimed Wanjigi.