The Triton Oil Scandal: 16 Years of Evasion

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October 29, 2024

After 16 years as a fugitive, Yagnesh Devani, the director of Triton Petroleum Company Limited, was extradited from the United Kingdom to Kenya in January 2024 to face charges in the Sh7.6 billion Triton oil scam. The Kenyan government had sought his extradition after he fled the country in 2008 to avoid prosecution. Devani was facing charges of fraudulent disposition of mortgaged goods, conspiracy to defraud, and obtaining by false pretenses. However, on October 28, 2024, a Kenyan court allowed the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to withdraw the case. A key witness, former Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi, expressed reluctance to testify, and the DPP cited the death of some witnesses and the relocation of the main complainant to Singapore as reasons for the withdrawal. The magistrate, Harrison Barasa, stated that the DPP and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) could not be forced to proceed with the case without sufficient evidence. The court’s decision to discharge Devani means that he may still be prosecuted in the future if new evidence becomes available.

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