Mater Hospital theft: Suspects make fresh application

Two Nairobi based accountants accused of stealing Ksh.80 million from Mater Hospital want the prosecution to avail documents that it intends to rely on during the trial.

The two, Solomon Odeny, a senior employee of Wananchi Telecom and accountant Paul Owuor Omingo were charged on Friday, February 9 with two counts of theft.

They are alleged to have stolen the money from the hospital on several dates between July 12, 2012 and September 27, 2017.

Through their lawyer John Ogada, the accused requested to be served with witness statements that the prosecution will base its case on.

“Some of the key documents have not been served to the defense so that it can prepare for the trial,” said Ogada.

The court directed the investigations officer to serve the defense with the statements alongside other documents that the defendants might require to prepare for the trial.

The matter was to be heard on Tuesday, February 1 but the defense said it was not ready to proceed with the matter.

According to the prosecution, the accused were arrested on Thursday, February 8 after the police were tipped off by members of the public after spending many years in hiding.

The two however denied the charges before senior principal magistrate Martha Mutuku and pleaded for a lenient cash bail since they come from a humble background.

The court ordered for their release on a cash bail of Ksh.500,000 or a bond of Ksh.2 million.