Passport Fight in Ksh 254 Million Theft Case
Wachira told the court that it is the third time Cheekati Narasimha Rao is trying to flee from the country
A city lawyer Kimani Wachira has urged the court to deny the release of the travel documents of an Indian national who is charged with stealing Ksh 254 million from his employer.
Appearing before the Milimani principal magistrate Caroline Nyaguthii, Wachira told the court that it is the third time Cheekati Narasimha Rao is trying to flee from the country despite pending investigations and ongoing criminal proceedings against him,
“The applicant’s claim that he has been summoned by his father in India is merely pretext to abscond, as his father has been in the care of other family members without requiring the applicant’s presence,” Wachira told the magistrate.
Despite the claim, the lawyer submitted that Cheekati has failed to produce any compelling evidence of urgency or necessity of his presence in India and he can communicate with his family with alternative means such as video calls and WhatsApp.
Cheekati also asserts that he requires medical attention without producing any medical reports or recommendations from qualified practitioners confirming the necessity of travel for treatment.
The lawyer insisted that “if the applicant requires medical attention, there are numerous well-equipped medical facilities within Kenya where he can receive treatment negating the need for international travel more so in the light of criminal proceedings and investigations against him.”
Wachira added that the accused being an Indian citizen with substantial resources in his country has a high likelihood of absconding and failing to return to face trial and as a foreign national he can easily resettle in India or any other country and make it difficult to secure his return.
He further told the court that if the passport will be released to leave the jurisdiction of the court, he be ordered to deposit a cash bail of Ksh 254,461,768 the amount he is charged with disbursing from the company’s account to himself.
Cheekati through his lawyer Shadrack Kipkorir submitted that his client’s father who is 80 years old is ailing from a chronic disease and mental illness and has requested the presence of the applicant at home in India.
He told the magistrate that his client also wants to utilize the opportunity to get a medical check-up as he suffers from a neurological condition that requires constant monitoring by his doctor in India,
“Your honor prior to the arraignment of my client he has been receiving occasional medical help from his doctors in India and due to a complaint leading to this case he could not make it to his scheduled medical check-up and similarly to see his ailing father,” the lawyer submitted.
He prayed the court to release his passport to travel back to his home country within two weeks of departure and to deposit it immediately when he is back in the country.
Cheekati was charged on diverse dates between January 1, 2016, and August 31, 2024 The court heard that the said money came into his possession by virtue of his employment.
He was further charged with forging the signature of Indian-Kenyan author and publisher Malkiat Singh Dhillon, to falsely promote himself as a Managing Director of the company. The court heard that the said money came into his possession by virtue of his employment.
He was further charged with forging the signature of Indian-Kenyan author and publisher to falsely promote himself as a Managing Director of the company.
He was released on a cash bail of Ksh 200,000.
The court will deliver the ruling on whether to release the passport or not on May 5, 2025.
