Lawyer Arrested After Allegedly Forging Signatures to Claim Ksh150 Million

Police have arrested a Nairobi Lawyer in connection with forging and presenting false documents before the Employment and Labour Relations Court (ELRC) in a bid to claim Ksh150 million. 

In a statement on Thursday night September 1, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said the suspect, Benard Odero Okello was apprehended at his office in Westlands Nairobi. 

“A city lawyer who presented forged documents before the Nairobi Employment and Labour Relations Court has today been arrested, following the ODPP's directive to police in Parklands, Nairobi, to charge him. 

“The suspect, Benard Odero Okello of Benard Odero & Company Advocates, was arrested at his office located at The Westery building in Westlands, Nairobi,” read the statement. 

According to the DCI, the suspect was arrested following investigations into a complaint filed by three Kenya County Government Workers Union officials. 

The agency noted that the officials discovered that Odero had presented a case before the said ELRC in Nairobi, where he presented false documents with forged signatures of the three.

Odero purported that the three officials had signed a Change of Signatory and Fee Note Agreement authorizing him to receive Ksh150 million upon the conclusion of a case in which he claimed to have represented them.

“In the case, Odero purported that the complainants had signed a Change of Signatory & Fee Note Agreement, for him to be paid Sh150M upon conclusion of a case in which he alleged to have represented them,” DCI stated. 

However, the three officials disputed having signed or executed the agreement with Odero.

The disputed documents, together with specimens of the complainants’ known signatures, were subsequently submitted to a forensic document examiner for analysis.

The forensic report confirmed that the documents presented before by the suspect were forged. 

Following the investigations, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) directed that Odero be charged with two counts of forgery and uttering a false document. 

The lawyer was summoned to present himself at Parklands Police Station but failed to comply prompting the officers to launch a manhunt for him.

Odero was traced to his office in Westlands, where officers moved to arrest him.

During the arrest, Odero allegedly threatened to jump from an eighth-floor window of the building in an attempt to evade arrest.

The city lawyer also allegedly bit two officers who were attempting to handcuff him.

“Consequently, besides the two approved charges with which Odero is faced, additional counts of resisting arrest and assaulting police officers will be preferred,” DCI added. 

This comes a month after DCI detectives arrested a lawyer in connection with an alleged Ksh69 million gold scam. 

In a statement DCI said the suspect, Alphonce Collins Odoyo Osewe, was apprehended after being on the run for months. 

According to the DCI, the suspect was nabbed within the precincts of the Milimani Law Courts. 

“The suspect, Alphonce Collins Odoyo Osewe, was arrested by detectives from the DCI Nairobi Regional Office within the precincts of the Milimani Law Courts pursuant to a warrant of arrest issued after he failed to honour court summons,” DCI stated. 

Following his arrest, Osewe was arraigned before the Chief Magistrate’s Court at Milimani Law Courts. 

The lawyer was charged with obtaining money by false pretenses, contrary to Section 313 of the Penal Code.