Patroba Odhiambo Tobias, widely known as Ishmael, and Nairobi-based lawyer Alphonce Collins Odowo Osewe have been charged in connection with an alleged gold scam that reportedly left two individuals defrauded of more than KSh 35 million.
Prosecutors allege that the two convinced the complainants that they were in a position to sell 400 kilograms of gold bars, a claim that later turned out to be false. As a result of the alleged misrepresentation, one of the victims, Bernard Shiaundu Aete, is said to have lost USD 260,400, an amount equivalent to approximately KSh 35.7 million.
The accused persons are facing six charges, including obtaining money by false pretenses and acquiring proceeds of crime. The prosecution maintains that the funds were received while the suspects knew, or had reason to believe, that the money had been obtained through fraudulent means.
During the court proceedings, Osewe did not appear before the court. His legal team informed Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina that the advocate had been admitted to Aga Khan Hospital and was therefore unable to attend the plea taking.
Patroba Odhiambo Tobias, on the other hand, appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to all the charges. The prosecution, led by state counsel, requested additional time to file an affidavit opposing his release on bail, citing the seriousness of the offences and the fact that investigations are still ongoing.
Magistrate Onyina allowed the prosecution until the following day to submit their application and ordered that Tobias be remanded at Capital Hill Police Station pending further directions.
The case comes at a time when Nairobi has recorded an increase in gold-related fraud cases, with unsuspecting investors increasingly falling victim to fictitious mineral trade schemes.