THE Kenyan Parliament has passed a vote of no confidence in its finance minister Amos Kimunya and are urging that he and other officials be suspended over alleged fraud, revealed a government enquiry led by Kenya’s Attorney General.
However, Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who claims that the sale of the luxury Grand Regency Hotel in Nairobi was “false, fraudulent and designed to deceive,” has since set up a committee to investigate the sale saying that no one would be spared if there was evidence of fraud in the deal and this committee are also calling for the Governor of the Central Bank and the head of National Security Intelligence have also been called to step down.
The hotel was allegedly sold for a third of its value, in that the recorded value of the hotel was $115m but it was allegedly sold for $45m. Mr Kimunya, who claims to be a close ally of President Mwai Kibaki, is denying any wrong doing in said sale to a local company with Libyan interests and said in Parliament on Wednesday that his hands are totally clean on this transaction.
Apparently the owner, Kamlesh Pattni, claims that surrendered his interest in the Grand Regency Hotel in exchange for amnesty in connection with outstanding corruption charges against him. It seems the Government compensated him millions in dollars in a fake gold export scheme commonly identified as the “Goldenberg scandal”.
Obviously this situation has led to renewed pressure on the power-sharing government. The sale was set up after violent clashes over the recent disputed elections. Prime Minister Raila Odinga is leading the investigations.
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READER OPINIONS
N/A • N/A Subject: ODINGA SHOULD RESIGN Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:45:33 • As the Prime Minister, The Buck should stop with him.Since he cannot be fired, Mr ODINGA should resign. He was busy focusing on Zimbabwean issues forgetting that there are Kenyan issues to deal with. Well I hope Kenyans will open their eyes soon and realize they are in the process of being taken for a BIG RIDE.
Roderick, Herts • na. Subject: BUSINESS IS BUSINESS Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:58:05 • If this deal went thru when the Kenyans were grinning as they sharpened their machetes on the tarmac, it is a wonder that the hotel was even valued at $45m (and not less) because when that precious red carpet of Tourism was pulled out from under the feet of all Kenyans in one bloody flash that hotel lost any value it might have had and was worthless.
You see Odinga, you not a businessman so you have no idea how things these things work.
You cannot focus on destroying a valuable facet of any nation such as Tourism, and expect to benefit in business deals as well!
There are dedicated businessmen, hovering like hooded vultures, who scrutinise the market daily whose sole aim is to swoop in and buy up any valuable assets at times exactly like this while the Opposition are more interested in clambering up on the throne than shopping.
You can either be a politician or a businessman.
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