NAIROBI, Kenya- A Nairobi court has cleared businessman Abass Omuyoma Bandru of charges relating to an Sh8.1 million gold fraud case.
Bandru, who had been accused of Sh8.1 million gold fraud, had earlier been found to have a case to answer by a Nairobi court.
Senior Principal Magistrate Robinson Ondieki ordered him to put on his defence against charges of obtaining money from a Canadian investor by falsely pretending he could sell him gold.
However, in a ruling delivered on Wednesday, Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Robinson Ondieki acquitted Bandru, after finding that the prosecution had failed to meet the required threshold to sustain the charges.
The court heard that the case stemmed from a proposed gold transaction that never materialised due to disagreements among the parties involved. While giving his defence, Omuyoma told the court that his involvement was limited to facilitating discussions between the parties and that he did not personally receive any money linked to the deal.
He explained that he had issued an invoice in his capacity as an agent, with the expectation of earning a commission, but insisted that no payment was ever made to him.
According to Omuyoma, any funds connected to the failed transaction were allegedly deposited into an escrow account associated with entities identified as Blue Creek and Jason, rather than his personal accounts.
The magistrate concluded that the evidence presented by the prosecution was insufficient to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt, leading to Omuyoma’s acquittal.
