BY PRUDENCE WANZA – Businessman Paul Kobia has been released on Sh.2m cash bail in a Sh.14m gold scam case.
Kobia was charged together with his 13 employees where they are alleged to have conspired to defraud Italiana Antonio Cianci Director of Iron and Steel DMCC from Arab Emirates US dollars 14,000 by displaying metal boxes purporting them to be genuine gold bars and having an office trading as Duaf international limited and Malva Amit limited by falsely pretending that they were carrying out a genuine gold business.
Kobia and his employee Tanya Yvonne Goes are charged with obtaining money by false pretences. It is alleged that the two on 25th April,2019 with intend to defraud with others not before court obtained from Italiana Antonio Cianci ,a director with Iron and Steel DMCC US dollars 14,000 by falsely pretending they had genuine gold for sale a fact they knew to be false.
Kobia and his employees also face a count of preparation to commit a felony. It is alleged that on 26th April 2019 they were found in possession of fake gold nuggets,smelting pots, metal tongs, X- ray Fluorescence Spectrometers , assorted rubber stamps and company seals all used to convince unsuspecting people that they were carrying out a genuine gold business.
Kobia is also accused of forging stamps. He is alleged to have been found in possession of an instrument capable of making the impression of a stamp for Chief Magistrate’s Court Nairobi Republic of Kenya.
He is also accused of making a falsr impressed stamp in the words of “collector of stamps duties Kenya revenue paid pounds” used for the purposes of revenue or accounting by the Kenya Revenue Authority.
Kobia is accused of forging stamps from the National Treasury, Central Bank of Kenya, Director of Geological Survey, ministry of mining, Kenya Revenue Authority Customs and Excise duty department, Executive Office of Presidency Department of Procurement Nairobi and that of Registrar of Companies Kenya.
They all denied the charges before Chief Magistrate Martha Mutuku at the Milimani Law Courts.
Kobia and Tanya Goes were released on a Cash bail of Sh.2m while the rest of the employees were released on cash bail of Sh.100,000.
The hearing of the case will be on 30th August, 2019.
