The prime suspect in a Ksh1 billion gold scam has suffered a setback as the High Court denied his request to stay his trial.

Justice Chacha Mwita declined to temporarily halt the prosecution of Joseph Waswa, the director of Melpa Company, from facing criminal charges lodged in court by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) pending the hearing of his petition challenging his prosecution.

The judge, however, slated the matter for further directions on December 1 and ordered Waswa who is out on anticipatory bail of Ksh200,000 to serve the DPP, Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Attorney General (AG) with his court papers.

This now means that Waswa will now have to appear in court on Monday, October 9, 2023, to answer charges of forgery of US dollars amounting to Ksh93,668,090.

The DPP and the DCI had already made a decision on September 22 to charge Waswa but his plea was deferred to October 9 following reports that he was sick and could not attend court.

Waswa together with other employees of Melpa, who have since been arrested over allegations of attempting to defraud a Tunisia national in the fake gold scam and being in possession of fake money, filed a constitutional petition challenging their arraignment. The main suspect in a Ksh1 billion gold scam has been dealt a blow after the High Court on Tuesday, October 3, 2023, rejected his plea to stop his prosecution.

Justice Chacha Mwita declined to temporarily halt the prosecution of Joseph Waswa, the director of Melpa Company, from facing criminal charges lodged in court by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) pending the hearing of his petition challenging his prosecution.

The judge, however, slated the matter for further directions on December 1 and ordered Waswa who is out on anticipatory bail of Ksh200,000 to serve the DPP, Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Attorney General (AG) with his court papers.

This now means that Waswa will now have to appear in court on Monday, October 9, 2023, to answer charges of forgery of US dollars amounting to Ksh93,668,090.

The DPP and the DCI had already made a decision on September 22 to charge Waswa but his plea was deferred to October 9 following reports that he was sick and could not attend court.

Waswa together with other employees of Melpa, who have since been arrested over allegations of attempting to defraud a Tunisia national in the fake gold scam and being in possession of fake money, filed a constitutional petition challenging their arraignment.