Oil Tycoon Yagnesh Devani skips mention of Ksh.1.5 billion Kipevu jet fuel case

Instead, Devani’s lawyer was in court and urged the court to excuse his client from appearing until the hearing date.

The lawyer failed to tell the court where Devani was. During the last mention the court issued a warrant of arrest against Devani which is yet to be enforced.

The Director of Public Prosecution objected the application saying that he had not been served with the said application.

Senior Principal Magistrate Robinson Ondieki directed the defence lawyer to serve the DPP with the application before the hearing on April 29, 2024.

Devani was charged with stealing 318.656 metric tonnes of jet fuel valued at Ksh.1.5 billion belonging to the Kenya Commercial Bank.

He had been on the run for 16 years and was extradited from Britain in January.

On January 23, 2024, police presented him before Magistrate Ondieki where he denied four counts preferred against him over the irregular sale of petroleum products acquired through loan facilities given to his firm Triton by KCB bank.

It is said that Devani struck a deal with top government officials in 2023 to leave London for Nairobi to take the plea. He had a warrant of arrest on his head.

The charges against him state that between April 23 and December 4, 2008, at Kipevu Oil Storage Facility in Mombasa county, jointly with others before court stole 2,000 metric tonnes of Automotive Gas Oil valued at US$ 215,934, the property of KCB.

The court was told that between May 15, 2008 and December 4, 2008, at the Kipevu oil storage facility within Mombasa County, jointly with others not before Court, stole 418.134 metric tons of motor spirit premium valued at US$ 438,031.10, the property of Kenya Commercial Bank