Big Blow to Heritage Flowers Ltd Directors as Court Orders Sh110 Million Fraud Case to Proceed to Full Trial

A Nairobi court has ordered a Sh110 million fraud case against two former directors of Heritage Flowers Ltd and two other individuals to proceed to full hearing, rejecting an application to transfer the matter to the Commercial Division.

In his ruling, Milimani Principal Magistrate Paul Mutai stated that “the law allows a criminal matter and a commercial matter to run parallel; hence I am not convinced to withdraw the matter.”

The case involves former directors Shailesh Kumar Rai and his wife Ranjeeta Pandey Rai, along with Isaack Ikua, Chris Oyunge, and Rosalia Blooms Limited.

The Magistrate noted that the prosecution’s decision to withdraw the criminal charges was made without involving the complainant, stating: “The prosecution has been accorded the right to charge or to terminate any criminal matter by the Constitution, but they must do it after the consent of the court. Making a decision to withdraw a criminal charge while failing to inform the complainant was a mess-up.”

He emphasized that this approach made the victim a mere spectator in the proceedings, an action that would undermine the scales of justice for both parties.

The court further observed that the accused persons were charged on July 28, 2023, following consent by the Director of Public Prosecutions, and that the hearing had already commenced with two witnesses having testified.

“Applying for the withdrawal of the matter at this stage is not fair since the accused had taken a plea after the same office approved the charges. There is no impediment to having criminal and commercial proceedings happening at the same time,” the Magistrate said.

When the prosecution applied to withdraw the matter through a letter dated June 19, 2025, the complainant, through their advocate, objected to the decision and filed an application urging the court to dismiss the plea.

The five accused face nine counts including conspiracy to defraud, stealing by servants, money laundering, and multiple forgery charges.

They are charged with conspiracy to defraud Heritage Flowers Limited of Sh110,520,990 on diverse dates between September 2021 and August 2022 within Nairobi County.

The court heard that Ranjeeta Pandey Rai is a director of the company and wife to co-accused Shailesh Kumar Rai, who failed to appear before court on Friday for plea taking.

Among the forgery charges, Shailesh Kumar Rai and Ranjeeta Pandey Rai are accused of forging virtual minutes of a Board of Directors meeting of Rosalia Blooms Limited dated February 19, 2022, and purporting them to be genuine documents signed on that date.

The accused also allegedly jointly forged a trust deed between Rosalia Blooms Limited as trustee and Heritage Flowers Limited as beneficiary, purporting it to be a genuine document signed on September 26, 2021.

The hearing will proceed on February 12, 2026.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​