The Standard Media Group is facing an auction for failing to pay former Taita Taveta MP Basil Criticos Sh4.1 million awarded to him by the court.
Criticos is an ally of President William Ruto and he sold him his current expansive Taita Taveta land.
Criticos, who is also the chairman of Kenya Trade Network Agency, won a Sh4.1 million defamation case against the Mombasa Road-based media house, but the money has not been paid.
The court awarded Criticos Sh3.6 million as compensation plus Sh500,000 as the cost of the suit.
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To recover the amount owed, the former legislator, through Moran Auctioneers, has now attached six vehicles and other properties, including office chairs and wooden cabinets for possible auction.
The warrant of attachment of movable property states in part:
"These are to command you to attach the movable property of the said Judgment/Debtor as set out in the schedule hereunto annexed or which shall be pointed out to you by the said D/holder and unless the said judgment debtor shall pay to you the said some of Sh4, 178,218 together with costs of this attachment, to hold the same until further orders from the court."
The Warrant of Attachment and Sale was issued on November 6, 2023, before the Auctioneer proceeded on November 8, and announced the Judgment Debtor’s movable assets, providing the mandatory seven days’ notice.
In 2011, Criticos sued the Standard Media Group over a story it published.
According to court documents, the publication alleged that Criticos had been prevented from selling his parents’ home and was accused by his niece of forging her grandmother’s signature to authorize the sale of the property.
The publication further alleged that Criticos’ niece had obtained an order barring him from selling her grandmother’s Sh8 million home and that the former legislator had sold his father’s property without the consent of family members.
Criticos, during the hearing of the case, told the court that no order was issued against him as he was not specifically mentioned in the alleged court order.
The media house admitted to publishing the article and tendered an apology.
It was after this apology that Criticos filed the claim and won.
