This archive report was first published on 4 August 2020.
Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa has been released on Sh100,000 cash bail after pleading not guilty to fraudulently selling a car worth Sh450,000 to a Kitengela-based businessman in 2017.
Barasa was arraigned at Kajiado Law Court on Tuesday morning and released after pleading not guilty to the offence of fraudulent disposition of mortgaged goods contrary to section 291 as read with section 36 of the penal code.
According to court documents, Barasa had sought an anticipatory bail to bar his arrest over the controversial sale of a public service vehicle to businessman John Irungu Mwangi on July 20.
Barasa's lawyer, John Khaminwa, argued that the MP sold the vehicle to the businessman through an intermediary, but the latter breached the sale agreement.
“Irungu, being in breach of the agreement, has chosen to make unwarranted allegations against the MP, seeking to extort from him a colossal sum of money under the guise of compensation for a nonexistent breach of the sale agreement to purchase the vehicle,” Khaminwa argued.
Barasa further alleged that the businessman had conspired with criminal investigations officers to intimidate him, and that his woes had been triggered by those opposed to his support for Deputy President William Ruto's 2022 presidential bid.
