Another explosive testimony emerged in the ongoing trial of former Oki Trading Company Limited (OTCL) Managing Director, Honey Khatwani, on Thursday, who is accused of illegally siphoning Sh356 million ($2,786,174.40) from the firm.
Testifying before Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Dolphina Alego, Sameer Kewal Ramani, who served as the company’s supplier manager at the time, described a workplace dominated by threats and coercion, where staff were instructed to divert company funds into personal accounts.
Ramani recounted how he was compelled to deposit client payments into Khatwani’s personal Eco Bank account and into his wife’s M-Pesa account.
“I knew it was wrong, but he was my senior and threatened me if I dared to report to other directors,” Ramani told the court, detailing how employees were coerced into following unlawful directives without question.
The witness explained that his role involved supplying electronic and domestic equipment to OTCL’s clients, but under Khatwani’s instructions, he had to misdirect payments.
He added that he received explicit instructions about where to deposit the funds: “the bank account of the accused person and the M-Pesa account belonging to his wife,” he said.
In a startling revelation, Ramani further testified that Khatwani manipulated the company workforce for his own gain.
Employees from OTCL were allegedly transferred to Galaxy Middle East Africa Limited, a company Khatwani had established, under the pretext that it was part of OTCL.
Ramani said the scheme allowed Khatwani to exploit staff labor for his new venture without compensation.
“It was a trick by Khatwani to use the workforce of OTCL employees to work in the newly established company, which was under his name, without paying them,” he stated.
During cross-examination, the defence sought to challenge Ramani on the lack of direct evidence showing he personally transferred funds to Khatwani.
The witness responded, “It is composed in the audit report before this court,” reinforcing that the financial trail had been documented.
The defence also applied for the temporary release of Khatwani’s passport, arguing that he needed to travel to Dubai for business between September 29 and October 16, 2025.
The court scheduled the matter for mention on September 29, 2025, to decide on the passport application.
The prosecution alleges that Khatwani misappropriated company funds between January 1, 2020, and June 30, 2024, at OTCL’s offices in Babadogo, Nairobi County. The charges claim the money, totaling approximately Sh356,711,174.40, was unlawfully taken while Khatwani served as a director.
The trial is set to continue on October 22 and 23, 2025, when further evidence from 11 more witnesses, including four police officers, civilians, and expert witnesses.
