Roads Engineer Defends Sh1 Billion Assets With 100 Kgs Worth of Documents

A senior official at the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) who is accused of amassing Ksh1 billion through kickbacks and bribes has moved to protect his assets from seizure by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).

Last month, EACC applied for the forfeiture of the road engineer’s wealth, which includes Ksh500million in 22 bank accounts.

More on That HERE – Govt Official on Ksh390,000 Salary Busted with Ksh570 Million in 22 Bank Accounts

Benson Muteti Musila, the Coast regional manager of the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA), filed his response before the High Court on Wednesday, September 1.

Through lawyer Migos Ogamba, Muteti tabled a large tranche of documents to prove he acquired his wealth legally. He said the 300 bundles of documents that were estimated to weigh approximately 100kg prove that all financial transactions of his businesses are legitimate.

“The EACC ambushed me and did not give us a chance to provide all the documentation to prove that all our assets were legally acquired. We had agreed on a timeline to supply all evidence but they instead rushed to court to freeze my properties,” swore Musila in his affidavit.

The engineer and businessman claimed the allegations by Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) are vague and generalities, which have not been supported by evidence.

Musila said he satisfactorily explained the sources of his wealth and provided financial statements of his companies but out of malice and witchhunt, the commission decided to take the matter to court.

“That EACC has not in its pleadings filed in court, identified even as single contractor, individual and or company, who I allegedly demanded from and or received bribes and kickbacks and has not filed any statement recorded from the purported complainants,” he said.

“We explained to them with supporting evidence each and every financial transaction carried out over their period of investigations. We do not know why they ignored our explanation, which proves all the assets were acquired in a lawful manner,” the civil servant swore.

According to Musila, his Sh1 billion empire was a result of his hard work in which he borrowed millions of shillings to invest. He said he has proof of repayment plans, which showed he did not steal public funds.

Musila further argues that if EACC believed he engaged in procurement fraud, they would have recommended charges against the suspected officials. He said that failure to prefer any criminal charges was proof there was no evidence to support their claims.

source https://nairobiwire.com/2021/09/roads-engineer-defends-sh1-billion-assets-with-100-kgs-worth-of-documents.html