Media Giant Standard Group on Brink of Auction in Landmark Ksh4.1M Defamation Battle
An auctioneer has intervened to recover Ksh4.1 million owed to a former Coast politician with close ties to President William Ruto, adding to the difficulties Standard Media Group is currently experiencing.
Significantly, the Ksh4.1 million under consideration represents damages granted to the entrepreneur after his triumph in a defamation lawsuit against the media organization, on which the Mombasa Road-based establishment has subsequently defaulted.
The media organization Standard Group reported in a report that the former politician was denied permission to sell the residence owned by his parents.
Additionally, according to the report by Standard, it was claimed that the niece of the former politician had lodged an accusation against her uncle, alleging that he had forged the signature of her grandmother to authorize the sale of the property.
”The above matter refers, upon receipt of the Warrant of Attachment and Sale issued on the 6th day of November 2023; we proceed on the 8th day of November 2023 and proclaimed the Judgement Debtor’s movable assets giving the mandatory 7 days notice.” Moran auctioneers said in a statement.
The auctioneering firm asserts that to recoup the disputed sum, it intends to sell a variety of media house property at auction, including six vehicles, office chairs, and timber cabinets.
The High Court, in its issuance of orders on November 6, 2023, instructed the auctioneering company to conduct an auction sale of the media house’s property after providing the Standard group with a 15-day notice of the scheduled auction.
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”These are to command you to sell by auction after giving 15 days’ previous notice, by affixing the same in the Courthouse and after making due proclamation, the Judgement- debtor’s property attached under a warrant from his court, dated the 6th day of Nov 2022 in the execution of a decree in favor of the Decree- holder I High Court Civil Case No. 124 of 2011 or so much of the said property and shall realize the sum of Shillings Ksh 4,178,218.00 the amount/balance of the said decree and cost remaining unsatisfied,” the court directed.
According to the media outlet that published the lawsuit filed by the former politician against Standard, it was stated that an order had been obtained by the well-connected politician’s niece prohibiting him from selling the Ksh8 million property owned by her grandmother.
Before this, Standard Group offered an apology to the ex-politician and acknowledged the publication of a defamatory article.
Despite this, the former politician proceeded with the lawsuit against the media stable.
In the interim, Standard Group is encountering financial challenges, as disclosed by the Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ), which states that scribes employed at the organization based on Mombasa Road have been unpaid for over six months.
Recently, the organization enticed long-tenured staff members to retire early in exchange for substantial compensation packages and gilded handshakes.
Media Giant Standard Group on Brink of Auction in Landmark Ksh4.1M Defamation Battle