A Nairobi court has declined to issue Sirisia MP John Waluke with his passport to facilitate travel to the United States (US) for a parliamentary event.
Justice Esther Maina rejected Waluke’s request terming him a convict who is not allowed to travel outside the country.
Waluke was arrested and arraigned following a maize fraud scandal that dates back to August 2004 when Erad Supplies and General Contractors Ltd was awarded a Sh778 million tender to supply 40,000 tonnes of maize.
The company then was known to be owned by the late businessman Jacob Juma, who was the only director known publicly.
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From the contract, the company was to receive Sh19,465 per tonne for the maize that was to be imported from Ethiopia.
However, the company failed to supply even a single grain.
This forced NCPB to cancel the contract, forcing Erad to move to court where an arbitrator was appointed. The arbitrator awarded Erad Sh564 million for breach of the contract, but the NCPB contested the decision at the High Court.
At the same time, Erad, through Jacob Juma, obtained court orders to auction NCPB assets to recover the money.
Later, the company received Sh297 million from NCPB, as compensation for breach of contract.
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The MP was charged alongside Grace Wakhungu for defrauding the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB). He was found guilty and sentenced to 67 years in jail or pay a Sh727 million fine.
He applied for bail on the grounds that he was diabetic. But according to the judge, the evidence did not show that the prison system did not have the capacity to handle the illness.
In a ruling by Justice John Onyiego, Walukhe was later released on Sh10 million cash bail or an alternative of Sh20 million bond.
He was also directed to deposit his passport in court for fear of being a flight risk and ordered to not leave the country without permission from the court.
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