The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) on Tuesday, August 6 morning arrested the principal suspect in the KSh7.6 billion Triton Oil scandal Mr. Yagnesh Devani.

The suspect, who was apprehended from his offices in Nairobi, is currently at the cells in Milimani Anti-Corruption Court awaiting arraignment.

EACC Spokesperson Eric Ngumbi has confirmed the arrest.

In 17th July, 2009, the senior management of Triton — including Yagnesh Devani — , together with identified officials of Kenya Pipeline Company were arraigned and faced charges of various corruption and economic crime offences and also fraud related offences.

According to EACC, then referred to as the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC), the suspects were arraigned before Principal Magistrate Rose Ougo at the Nairobi Anti-Corruption Court.

The anti-graft agency had been investigating allegations to the effect that officials of Kenya Pipeline Company Ltd (KPC) colluded with Mr. Yagnesh Devani and other senior officials of Triton Petroleum Company Ltd to irregularly release a total of 126,488,499 litres of petroleum products of an approximate
value of KSh7.6 billion to Triton without the requisite authorities from the financiers.

“The Commission’s investigations are complete. The investigation report was forwarded to the Attorney General with recommendations to charge identified officials of KPC, the senior management of Triton including Yagnesh Mohanlal Devani, the director of Triton, with various offences corruption and economic crime offences and also fraud related offences,” EACC said at the time.

Yagnesh Devani flees

The Attorney General, at the time, concurred with the recommendations. The nine suspects, who included Mr. Devani who had fled the country, were charged with thirteen counts covering various offences including fraudulent disposition of mortgaged goods; conspiracy to defraud; obtaining by false pretences; abuse of office; and neglect of official duty by a public officer.

In 2013, Interpol placed Devani among the most-wanted Kenyan suspects over his alleged role in the Triton fuel theft scandal.

After 16 years on the run, Devani was in January 2024 quietly extradited from United Kingdom where he had fled to, charged in a Nairobi court and freed on a KSh1 million cash bail.

In April this year, Devani — for the third time — failed to appear in court for the mention of the case.