[SIZE=6]Ben Gethi lawyer account unfrozen after claiming Sh26.9m was for buying clothes[/SIZE]
I&M Bank has unfrozen the bank account of a lawyer accused of helping businessman Ben Gethi launder Sh791 million NYS cash.
Patrick Ogola sued the bank for withholding Sh26.9million meant for buying clothes in Hong Kong.
Milimani court Justice Fred Ochieng ordered account number 1179851210 be unfrozen but restricted the lawyer from transferring the money to other accounts until the case is determined.
On Tuesday, Ogola and Mujera advocates sued the bank for freezing Ogola’s account, which they said was “unlawful”.
According to court papers, Ogola holds three accounts at I&M Bank in which he made “suspicious” deposits which, by law, must be reported to the CBK for investigation.
The bank’s General manager in charge of Operations, Joseph Njomo, said Ogola deposited the amount in an account in I&M’s Parklands Branch.
The account was frozen following the set up of a multi-agency team by President Uhuru Kenyatta to trace and recover cash and assets of corruption suspects.
Ogola is representing Gethi in a case where the businessman is alleged to have gotten Sh585 million form the NYS and used it to acquire land and other property.