Oh Not Again! British Lawyer Guy Spencer Accused of Fraud in Multibillion Will Forgery

Controversial Nairobi lawyer faces fresh forgery allegations in billionaire estate dispute

Nairobi lawyer Guy Spencer Elms is back in the spotlight over explosive allegations that he forged the will of deceased billionaire Pritam Singh Panesar to fraudulently claim a prime 53-acre beachfront estate in Msambweni, Kwale County.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has launched a probe into the matter, with forensic experts declaring the presented will as fake. This comes barely weeks after prosecutors sought to terminate a separate decade-long case where Elms was accused of forging another British tycoon’s will to grab prime Karen property worth over Sh100 million.

The Panesar Estate Scandal

Pritam Singh Panesar died in July 2018, leaving behind vast estates from Nairobi to the Coast. His death has sparked a series of bitter inheritance battles, with the latest centering on the valuable coastal property.

According to confidential DCI reports filed in court, Elms and businessman Nileshkumar Shah presented themselves as joint executors of Panesar’s estate, armed with a contested will bearing signatures that forensic experts say are fake.

DCI forensic examiner Alex Mwongera compared the signature on the disputed will against Panesar’s national identity card signature and reached a damning conclusion: “The signatures are dissimilar and distinguishable, hence not made by the same author.”

Independent forensic examiner Emmanuel Karisa Kenga supported this finding after examining Panesar’s signatures on nine official documents, describing the mismatch as “glaring.”

Court documents reveal a sophisticated fraud scheme involving Henry Philip Nyabuto, who admits to creating a fake Green Card at the Lands Registry. Nyabuto names former police officer Wilson Gichuhi as an intermediary who allegedly acted on Elms’ behalf. M-Pesa records show Nyabuto received Sh10,000 from Gichuhi’s number in January 2022.

The Land Battle

The controversy began in April 2022 when the Environment and Land Court awarded the 53-acre property to three long-term occupants under adverse possession laws. Mohammed Ruwa Maridadi, Anthony Michael Mwanza Mulwa, and Ahmed Ouma Randa had lived on the land for over 12 years, with government surveys confirming permanent structures and mature trees as evidence of occupation.

Just as the trio prepared to formalize ownership, Elms and Shah moved to court, claiming they were the legitimate estate executors who should have been included in the original case. The court later set aside its earlier decision, returning the dispute to square one.

A Pattern of Allegations

This latest scandal mirrors Elms’ decade-long battle in the Roger Bryan Robson case, where he faces five charges including forgery and attempting to fraudulently acquire property. In that case, he’s accused of manipulating documents to claim Karen land originally meant for charity.

The similarities are striking. In both cases, Elms allegedly forged deceased billionaires’ signatures, presented himself as an executor, and used sophisticated document manipulation to claim valuable properties.

The timing raises eyebrows. The prosecutor’s decision to seek termination of the Robson case just as the Panesar investigation intensifies has sparked questions in legal circles.

The Bigger Picture

These cases expose vulnerabilities in Kenya’s probate and land registration systems. The alleged ease with which forged documents can be processed highlights inadequate verification mechanisms and the need for comprehensive reforms.

A visit to the disputed Msambweni property reveals the human cost of prolonged legal battles. The pristine beachfront land has fallen into neglect, with squatters and herders moving in while lawyers fight in distant courtrooms.

For the three occupants who believed they had finally secured legal ownership after decades of residence, the court’s reversal represents a crushing setback in a system where deep pockets often trump simple occupation rights.

With the DCI investigation ongoing and forensic evidence mounting, Elms faces potential fresh criminal charges in the Panesar case.

An arrest warrant in the Robson matter remains active, creating multiple legal pressures for the controversial lawyer.

Whether these allegations result in conviction remains to be seen, but the pattern of similar accusations across multiple high-value estate disputes raises serious questions about accountability in Kenya’s legal profession and the protection of deceased persons’ assets from fraudulent manipulation.

The fate of millions of shillings worth of prime property hangs in the balance, along with the reputation of one of Nairobi’s most controversial legal practitioners.