"We trapped her": Ali Punjani's video adds new twist to the billion-shilling family, bank feud

A video filed in court detailing an alleged conversation between Mombasa businessman Ali Punjani and his businesswoman Fatmabai Sherali’s daughter Zahra Sali has added a new twist to the two-year-old case involving billions of shillings.

From profanities and chest-thumping to name-dropping, Punjani appears pissed with Sherali’s decision to pursue him, his sister, and banks in court, and alleges that he would push back, including jailing them. He demanded money he allegedly signed in favour of Sherali, together with interest for 20 years.

Sherali is Punjani’s aunt, and the conversation between the two cousins was allegedly recorded on September 22, 2026.

The conversation starts with Punjani with Sherali’s health. This was an issue that was initially at the heart of the case, and it was alleged that she was not in the right state of mind to file a case.

However, medical tests gave Fatmabai a clean bill of health, which threw the dispute into a whole new spin.

In the video, Punjani is heard telling Zahra that his one car can buy her everything together, and at one point he says that Fatmabai solely relied on him and his sister to get through life. According to him, the mental issue was allegedly a trap they had put up.

“We trapped her, we trapped her. From the mental... She did very good. So now she knows everything. She's clear. So I pick her up tomorrow. I put her in jail. Right? Why don't you get? I'm telling you one more time. Zahra, 35 million. Take it, do your life, do what you will do. Because of Gulli Ma, I'm not doing this money for Naz, aunty, or for me. I am doing it for Gulli Ma, 35 million. Your mother isn't on the life here. Take it and fuck off. But before you go... You will come in media and say all what I said was wrong. All what I said and all the cases out. If you don't, you want that or you don't want that. It's your concern.”

“I'll put your mother in jail and then you'll cry. And then you'll get only, you'll get only nothing, zero. Zero. Because I have cheques. She's been operating her account for a long time. So tell me now, and the good thing is what? She has been in the doctor's chamber, and she's alive. The way she was lying, I don't remember. Now she's alive, so she knows everything. You know that the test was just for happiness,” he says adding that he only went quiet because of his mother (Sherali’s sister).

He also alleged that since she had roped in banks in the case, it would cost her dearly.

The Commercial Court Judge Peter Mulwa had ordered Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) to conduct mental health tests on Fatmabai to establish if she had the capacity to sue Punjani, ABC Bank and Diamond Trust Bank.

The report by an eight-member medical team indicated that she was sound and able to recall issues, alongside being alert.

For this, the team said that she could proceed with the case. According to the team, Fatmanabi informed them that she had decided to pursue her family members because of an alleged massive amount of loans that they had taken against her name without consent or knowledge.

“ Based on the clinical evaluation and mental status examination, the patient is mentally stable, with intact cognitive functioning and preserved insight and judgement. She is fit to continue with legal proceedings,” the four-page report filed in court and exclusively seen by The Standard on Saturday reads in part.

Fatmabai appeared before consultant oncologist Dr. Catherine Nyongesa, consultant pulmonologist Dr. Wanjiku Kagima, consultant psychiatrists Dr. Ian Kanyanya and Dr. Ann Mwongela, consultant neurologist Dr Silvanus Wabwire, clinical psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Adol, Fredrick Kyalo and Sheila Lunani.

The team chaired by Dr.Nyongesa ruled out the possibility of the businesswoman being unable to pursue justice or run her own affairs. She was assessed for any abnormalities in all the body systems starting with the head neck, chest, abdomen and lower limbs and all was normal,” the report continued to read.

The report is a culmination of a thriller battle on whether Sherali was well to be in court.

Sherali’s lawyer Hans Oichoe told Justice Mulwa that the medical document relied upon to dispute her sanity showed that she was depressed.

Oichoe argued that despite Punjani, Parviz Haiderli, Zuher Ladak, her nephew Ali Badrudin, and niece Nazlin Aminmohamed claiming to have gotten the document from Kilimani Police Station, there was no correspondence or evidence to prove this.

Instead, he said, the document was obtained from her former lawyer who illegally gave it away to her opponents.

“ From a bird’s view, you cannot read good faith. The path adopted by the respondents is a very desperate one. The defendants do not know how to deal with it. The who pursuit to declare the plaintiff unfit is based on a report which they alleged they obtained from Kilimani Police Station, she had denied that she never gave to the report to the police. Instead, it was obtained from her former advocate, which was a breach of client confidentiality,” argued Oichoe.

He asserted that there was a separate document showing that she was going through a loss  but was mentally ill.

“ It is a mockery for the defendants making fun of her pain. If loss can be used against someone and they are called sick and insane, I don’t know what happened to humanity. There is no legal basis for the court to order for mental assessment,” said Oichoe.

On the other hand, Punjani, Haiderli, Ladak, Badrudin, and Nazlin’s lawyer, Steve Nyamu, said that she had agreed to undergo a mental test. Nyamu argued that the only contention was whether it should be done in a public or private hospital.

He asserted that the court should order he to appear before public officers who will be cheaper. At the same time, he alleged that they are cheaper than private institutions.

“ The advocate for the respondent acceded to the prayer for the application for a mental assessment. You issued an order for the evaluation, so the mental assessment issue has been agreed upon. We do not have an objection of it being done but for impartiality, let the same be done in a public hospital and the process be overseen by the court,” said Nyamu.

Sherali sued Punjani, several banks, company directors, and the National Lands Commission (NLC) over allegations of fraud.

However, all the accused parties deny the allegations and seek to have the cases dismissed. The cases involve Punjani, Haiderli, Ladak, Badrudin, and Aminmohamed.

Also cited the Director General of Business Registration Service. Other parties named in the case, include Diamond Trust Bank, NLC, and Equitorial Secretaries and Registrars.

In the cases Sherali accused Haiderli and Nazlin of using Abdeel Enterprises Limited and Abdeel Investments Limited, claiming the businessman and her relatives used her credentials to conduct transactions, and without her consent.

On the other hand, Abdeel, Badrudin, Nazlin, Amynaz, Ladak, and Punjani want the cases struck out. They further deny all the claims, saying that they never visited any bank.

They argue that Sherali is mentally disturbed, and old and what she claims is a figment of imagination.

“In response the Defendants state that the said issues could be figments of her imagination due to her mental instability and old age,” they replied in a joint defence, adding that there is no evidence that they had done any changes.

In the DTB case, she alleged that from bank statements issued by the bank,  Abdeel had been credited with more than Sh 1.2 billion while in a separate dollar account, the company had allegedly advanced at least USD 1 milliom which remained unpaid to-date.

She also claimed that she was added as a director and her credentials were used to create the bank accoints without her consent.

She stated that  DTB had violated Central Bank of Kenya’s regulations.

 DTB raises doubts about her mental state and asserts that she is not a client. At the same time,it denied issuing her with the bank records.

“ It is in the eighth defendant’s case that the plaintiff is not its customer nor is she mandated to operate any of the accounts held at the eight defendant’s bank and in the circumstances denies furnishing the plaintiff with any bank statement as alleged,” DTB replied.

It also argued that it was unaware of the contents of her case.

Equitorial Secretaries also sought to have the case struck out, claiming it’s an abuse of court. They resigned as Abdeel’s secretaries in 2020 after failing to obtain crucial information and fees, including updating annual returns since 2016. In her further affidavit, Sherali argued that despite the hardships, including the loss of her husband and children, her mind was clear. She has requested the judge to allow her to undergo a mental test at a medical facility of his choice to confirm her mental state.

Sherali also filed a separate case against Abdeel, Cine Enterprises Limited, Cine Investments Limited, and NLC. She claims that Abdeel holds 10 shares in Cine Enterprises, while the majority shareholder, Nazlin Aminmohamed Nathoo, owns 72 per cent of the shares. She has also alleged that Cine Investments does not have a record of ownership.

In the video, Punjani also alleged that he would call one Mohamed Amin to pick Sherali.

“ Your father will pay. Selling will pay. The banks. You know who we are. Diamond Trust, ABC, Ali Punjani. Put together. Now see, your mother 1 per cent will cost you. 1 per cent won't cost you. The cheques will cost you. And I'm calling Amin Muhammad. To pick your mother tomorrow, I'm putting a complaint tomorrow. She's given five cheques, she can't pay. But don't call me! My phone is off. We call you now, then we put report in Nairobi. And now I'll show you how your mother will cry like a baby. Like a baby,” he said.

The case will be mentioned on December 7,2026.