A West African herbalist who was accused of conning Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana Ksh76 million in a fake petroleum oil business deal has been sentenced to four years in jail by a Nairobi court for the offence of being in possession of fake currency amounting to Ksh960 million.
Milimani Senior Resident Magistrate Ben Mark Ekhubi on Wednesday, November 22, slapped Abdoulaye Tamba Kouro, a Chad national, with a four-year sentence without an option of a fine after finding him guilty of three offences including in possession of fake money.
“After considering the mitigation herein I sentence the accused person to four years in count 2, two years in count 3 and a further two years in count four with an alternative fine of Ksh400,000. The sentences will run concurrently,” the magistrate ordered.
While sending the Chad national to prison, the magistrate said the offences he faced were serious and needed him to be given a custodial sentence.
Last month, Milimani Senior Resident Magistrate Ben Mark Ekhubi convicted the accused on the charge of defrauding Makau Muteke of $6796 (about Ksh700,000) through the pretext he was to invest it in business on March 9, 2017.
The magistrate also convicted Kouro of charges of being in possession of assorted fake currencies totalling Ksh960,120,000.
In his judgement, the magistrate ruled that the prosecution proved the charges against the accused person beyond reasonable doubt.
The magistrate, however, acquitted the Chad national on the charge of the offence of conning Senator Mungatana of Ksh76 million.
Acquitting Kouro, Ekhubi said the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the West African really conned the former assistant minister.
“It was Mungatana’s word against Kouro. The prosecution had to call eyewitnesses who saw Mungatana give the accused the money,” Ekhubi ruled
