Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang'i has said that the recent arrest of Meru Senator Mithika Linturi was linked to 37 criminal charges, contrary to rumours that he was arrested for opposing the BBI bill.

Linturi was arrested by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers en route to the parliament, to take part in the special sitting to discuss the Constitutional Amendment bill known as the BBI.

Matiangi appeared before the Fred Outa-led Senate Security Committee, where he revealed Linturi was arrested to record a statement in connection to 37 criminal charges leveled against him that the DCI has been in pursuit of since 2018.

The CS told the committee that one Emily Nkitore Buntai reported a forgery of the Board of Directors’ minutes of Atticon Limited, a company where she and Linturi were directors and held 50 and 1050 shares, respectively.

In the minutes dated April 28th, 2017, it appeared new directors of Atticon Limited were appointed and the previous directors removed.

The CS said that the director of Barons Estate Limited, Collins Kipchumba Ng’etich reported to the DCI on November 15th, 2008, his discovery of a fraudulent application for renewal of a Sh100 million overdraft facility by the Atticon Limited directors without his permission.

Upon searching the Companies’ Registry, Ng’etich found out that Barons Estates Limited was fraudulently removed from the shareholding of Atticon Limited using forged documents.