A Nairobi court has issued a warrant of arrest against former Java Chief Executive Officer Derrick Cornelius Van Houten after he failed to appear for proceedings in a Ksh7.9 million fraud case.
Trial Magistrate Caroline Mugo issued the warrant on Tuesday, directing that Van Houten be arrested and presented before the court to answer to the charges he is facing.
Van Houten was charged in 2024 with defrauding businessman Awil Abdirahman Abdulle of Ksh7.9 million through alleged false pretences.
The court heard that between October 1, 2021 and January 31, 2022 in Nairobi, he is said to have obtained the money while claiming he could facilitate the construction of a Java Hotel in Narok County.
According to the prosecution, the former CEO allegedly claimed that he was in a position to franchise a Kukito/Java Express coffee shop.
During the hearing, Abdulle presented documentary evidence, including a finance agreement, which he said showed he was the financier in the transaction.
He further told the court that he had paid Ksh6.8 million to Van Houten in connection with the deal.
In a separate judgment delivered in February this year, High Court Judge Josephine Mong’are ordered Van Houten, alongside KISS Cosmetics, to pay over Ksh9.4 million with interest at a court rate of 12 percent per annum from February 12 until full payment.
The court also directed the defendants to bear the costs of the petition.
Van Houten, who has been out on a cash bail of Ksh500,000, now faces arrest should he continue to evade court appearances.
