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Taj Mall owner in court to stop charges of fraud in land deal


The owner of the Taj Mall in Embakasi has moved to the High Court seeking to stop his prosecution following revelations that the property stands on a land with two title deeds.

Taj Mall Managing Director Rameshchandra Govind Gorasia on Monday sued the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) and the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) wanting an order issued stopping them from having him face trial.

MALICIOUS

According to Mr Gorasia, the charges on fraudulent acquisition of the parcel of land on which the mall is built, are malicious. He was the charges suspended until a forensic analysis on the title deeds is carried out.

In his court papers, he accused the DPP and the DCI of colluding with certain individuals to defraud Taj Mall Limited and having him charged in a criminal court.

“Instead of investigating how the Lands office issued two titles for the same parcel of land, it was decided that I am the one to be charged with four criminal counts yet at no single time investigations have been done to confirm the genuine or forged title,” Mr Gorasia said.

According to the him, the land was issued with a deed by the Commissioner of lands in April 9, 1996 with No. 63978 and its current deed is L.R No. 20273.

SECOND TITLE

However, Siesta Investments Limited fraudulently procured a title to the same land with No. 141915.

He alleged that his company’S lawyers followed due process to transfer the name of the said land to Taj Mall Limited.

He also argued that the criminal proceedings against him are in bad faith as well as an abuse of court process.

He further provided a detailed list showing the transfer process of the deed and name transfer.

“From the foregoing it is clear that the transfer process was transparent and above board, all the relevant procedures in law,” he said.