Court Orders Treasury Accountant to Forfeit Sh80 Million Unexplained Wealth

A Nairobi court has directed a National Treasury official to forfeit property worth over Sh80 million to the government.

While making the ruling on Thursday, High Court Lady Justice Mumbi Ngugi said the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) provided evidence showing that Patrick Ochieno Abachi, an accountant at the Treasury, has unexplained wealth. 

“I am satisfied on the evidence placed before me by the plaintiff (EACC) that the 1st defendant (Abachi) has unexplained assets within the meaning of Section 2 of the ACECA,” Justice Ngugi said.

In 2008, Sh1.99 million in cash was seized from Abachi following a search carried out by EACC detectives.

Also recovered were ownership documents to properties registered in his name and his associates. The properties were estimated to be worth Sh80,840,000 as of 2008.

When EACC filed the forfeiture suit in 2008, Abachi’s gross salary was Sh53,900 per month, with the agency stating that he had acquired wealth well beyond his known legitimate sources of income.

The court was told that he acquired a house valued at Sh54 million in 2006, a Sh5 million apartment in 2005, two other apartments in Parkview for Sh9 million, and pieces of land in Kajiado and Mavoko between 2004 and 2005.

EACC argues that these are proceeds of crime as he failed to list in his wealth declaration forms.

The property is linked to the Anglo Leasing scandal in which contracts worth Sh70 billion were issued to non-existent companies.

The scandal is alleged to have started when the government wanted to replace its passport printing system in 1997 but came to light after a revelation by a government officer in 2002.

The contract, which was not publicly advertised, was originally quoted at 6 million euros by a French company but was awarded to a British company, Anglo Leasing Finance at 30 million euros. Anglo Leasing would have sub-contracted the same French company to do the work.