The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has intensified the prosecution of four foreign nationals accused of forgery and conspiracy in a disputed C-160 Transall cargo aircraft transaction.
The accused, Geoffrey Leach, David Berry, Michael Allan McKeever and Christopher Bruce Wilhelm, face charges under Sections 349 and 393 of the Penal Code.
At the Kisumu Senior Principal Magistrate’s Court, Principal Prosecution Counsel Douglas Moseti called Captain Newton Osiemo, Chief Executive Officer of Wilken Aviation Limited, as the first prosecution witness.
Osiemo told the court that Wilken Aviation and Flying Tiger Oversize Cargo Pty Ltd jointly purchased the aircraft from Indonesia on November 17, 2014, with FTOC holding a 70 per cent stake and Wilken Aviation 30 per cent.
The aircraft was later registered in the Central African Republic and flown to Kisumu International Airport for aviation inspections. It was intended for charter and humanitarian operations, including transporting food under the United Nations World Food Programme.
The witness said a dispute emerged after registration documents were allegedly obtained from Comoros without Wilken Aviation’s involvement.
On March 5, 2019, the High Court issued an injunction barring FTOC from removing the aircraft from Kisumu.
However, the court heard that the aircraft was allegedly flown to Entebbe, Uganda, on March 9, 2021, without Wilken Aviation’s knowledge.
Osiemo further testified that documents used to facilitate the departure were allegedly falsified.
Meanwhile, the High Court dismissed a constitutional petition seeking to halt the prosecution.
The case resumes on November 16, 2026.
