A businessman who played a key role in former Cabinet minister Nicholas Biwoit’s businesses in the early 1990s wan deeply involved in two of the most notorious Goldenberg International sister companies, It emerged yesterday at the Golden-berg inquiry that Mr N.S. Srikanth was also a signatories to Panther Investments Limited which has since turned out to belong to one of retired President Mois son, Philip, and business tycoon Karnlesh Pattni, Panther Investment Limited has in the past featured prominently in all manner of fraudulent schemes in which Central Bank was manipulated leading to loss of billions of shillings.
It even claimed pre-export finance amounting to millions which was sup-posed to be for locally manufactured goods for purportedly exporting pangas, slashers and Livestock to Britain. Mr Sri kanth was also a signatory to in a Trade Agencies Limited which is yet another of of Mr Pattni’s companies which received millions of shillings from Central Bank through various schemes.
The evidence came during the inquiry’s 156th day of sitting during the cross-examination of former governor of the Central Bank of Kenya Mr Eric Kotut by the lawyer for the Deposit Protection Fund, Mr Cecil Miller, Mr Kotut told the commission that he could not rule out the involvement of Mr Pattni through Mr Srikanth in the construction of the showcase Yaya Cen-tre, Nairobi, which is largely associated with Mr Biwot, Mr Srikanth is also listed as a signatory to HZ Group which obtained the millions from the DPF and Trade Bank Limited to construct the building.
The evidence came as commission chairman Samuel Bosire issued a last warning for those who had been served with adverse notices to respond to them by Friday next week failing which they should not blame the commission. It is understood that Mr Biwot has not sent in his lawyers to the inquiry as is the practice even after he and his company HZ Company Limited were served with such notices last month.
