Billionaire businessman Ashok Doshi, who faces serious charges of land fraud, could soon find himself off the hook as the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) reviews the evidence in his case. Doshi, who is a director at Doshi Group of Companies and the owner of Magnum Properties Limited, is charged with four counts relating to land fraud, including forging land documents and forcefully taking possession of valuable land.
The charges stem from an alleged land-grabbing scheme dating back to 1992, when Doshi and his associates were accused of forging stamp duty documents to claim ownership of land located along Nairobi’s Processional Way. According to the charge sheet, Doshi, alongside lawyer Harith Sheth and Magnum Properties, conspired to defraud the government of Sh1.2 million by falsifying a government receipt for stamp duty. This fraudulent document was used to register a land title.
Doshi faces additional charges of making unauthorized documents and forging a receipt from the Ministry of Lands, purportedly signed by the Commissioner of Lands. Furthermore, he was accused of forcibly taking possession of land that legally belonged to Greenview Lodge Limited in 2002, a move that allegedly led to potential violence and unrest.
Doshi denied all charges, and in April 2023, he was released on a Sh500,000 bail and required to surrender his passport to the court. However, the case has been stalled since then due to ongoing High Court orders that suspended the proceedings.
On Monday, Doshi’s lawyer, Noel Okwach, informed the court that the DPP had been asked to review the charges, and a response had been received indicating that the file had been recalled from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) for reassessment. Okwach further suggested that the charges might be dropped altogether. The DPP has yet to make a final decision, but the possibility of a dismissal looms large.
The case is now scheduled for mention on March 19, 2025, pending further directions from the High Court, which will issue additional orders on March 18.
