Embu woman who defrauded trader of Sh1m released

Faith Kadogo Cingau at the Embu law courts on Friday. She was released after committing to pay Sh1 million she “defrauded” an Embu businessman. BY JOSEPH MUCHIRI/STANDARD

A woman convicted of defrauding a businessman of Sh1 million was released after she committed to pay back the money.

Faith Kadogo Cingau produced a title deed of a three-acre piece of land belonging to her sister valued at Sh1.5 million as a bond to secure her release, then promised to deposit Sh1.1 million money to the Embu businessman's bank account in one year.

Ms Cingau, who hails from Tharaka-Nithi County, has been in jail since February 8 after an Embu Magistrate Court found her guilty of fraud by using Samwel Muriuki's title deed to get a loan of Sh1 million that she never serviced.

Embu Principal Magistrate Robinson Oigara released Cingau last Friday on agreement that she pays the money while under probation, and to appear in court after six months for review of her progress.

After her release, Ms Cingau implicated her husband in the saga, saying he took most of the loan money, and then kicked her out of their home; hence she was unable to service the loan.

"I never intended to defraud Muriuki. I used the money to expand my business while my husband demanded the rest for some undisclosed projects. He seized my investments of livestock, then left me and started living with another woman," she said.

Cingau said she will use legally available avenues to get the money back from her estranged husband of 18 years, who is a Sacco official in Tharaka-Nithi.

She had been charged that on May 12, 2010 at Embu town by means of fraudulent tricks, she induced Muriuki to deliver a title deed for his plot number Kagaari/Kigaa/3498 as collateral of Co-operative Bank loan, which was granted.

Cingau had leased Muriuki's house as a tenant from January 2010 to December 2010 and was to pay monthly rent of Sh8,000 but opted to pay Sh96,000 for the whole year at once.

She stocked hardware and after three months asked him to sell her half an acre land with a residential house at Sh3 million.

She requested Muriuki for the title deed to get a loan of Sh2 million from Co-operative Bank Embu branch, promising he would pay him Sh1.5 million and offset his balance later.

They drew an agreement before Njeru Ithiga and company advocates on May 13, 2010.

Muriuki told the court when the bank advanced her Sh1 million, she immediately withdrew all of it, closed her shop and moved the stock at night on July 2010 then disappeared.