Two charged for trading in substandard liquor worth 5.7m

ELDORET, KENYA: Two proprietors of a supermarket in Eldoret were on Wednesday arraigned in court on charges of forging exercise stamps and trading in substandard alcoholic drinks.

Rasik Bhikhabhai Dangariya and Sameer Ashok Panchal were separately charged with possession and sale of over twenty liquor brands bearing fake excise stamps valued at over Sh 5 million.

They faced four counts of possessing excisable goods bearing fake stamps, offering sale of substandard alcoholic drinks without standardisation marks and valid import standardisation mark and possession of counterfeit goods.

Dangariya faced another two charges of allowing persons less than 18-years to gain access to areas where alcoholic drinks are displayed and selling liquor whose packages lacked health warnings.

They are accused of committing the offenses at New Yako Supermarket in Eldoret Central Business District and the supermarket’s store.

The two who appeared before Resident Magistrate Dianah Milimu denied the charges and were released on a cash bail of Sh150, 000 and Sh100, 000 respectively.

Through a seizure notification used to confiscate the drinks from the Supermarket, Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) requested to have the bulk of alcoholic drinks destroyed within four days.

However, Johnson Isiji the lawyer for the co-accused objected to the application and requested the court to allow the preservation of the exhibits until the matter is heard and determined.

“It beats logic to have the exhibits which are not perishable to be destroyed even before the beginning of the hearing of the case. There is no justification for such a request,” argued Isiji.

The court allowed the request by the defence lawyer, directing for the preservation of the exhibits.