Lawyer Festus Murimi
Lawyer Festus Murimi, an advocate of the High Court in Kenya, was on Monday arraigned at the Kibera Law Court for allegedly stealing KSh 6 million from an account linked to the Sale Processing Safety Company. The accused is reported to have unlawfully accessed and transferred the funds, leading to charges of theft and breach of trust.
Murimi, who has been practicing law for several years, now faces serious legal consequences, with the court set to determine the next steps in the case. The allegations have sparked significant attention, highlighting concerns about legal ethics and fiduciary responsibilities in Kenya’s legal profession.
According to the Star newspaper, one of the local daily in the East African nation, Festus Murimi who is also the co-director of the said company did not take a plea after Kibera Magistrate Boaz Ombewa declined an application by the state to detain the suspect for six days to allow further investigation.
While releasing the Murimi on a bond of one million with surety of a similar amount, Ombewa said that the state did not give compelling reasons why the accused should not be released on bond adding, that he can be out while the investigations are on.
It is alleged that on the 15th of February 2019, Murimi reported the matter of his abduction at Kileleshwa Police Station, where he alleged that the abductors forced him to withdraw 60, O00 USD from the account of KCB Bank based at Sarit Centre.
According to the investigation, the accused gave false information about the abduction as the CCTV footage shows that the accused withdrew the money and boarded a taxi that dropped him at the Kinoo area.
While seeking detention, at the Kilimani Police Station, the investigators wanted more time to complete the investigation and do forensic auditing, as well as looking for other accomplices.
The case will be mentioned on Friday.
