Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang’ula has been linked to a Sh400 million gold sale scandal involving senior officials in the United Arab Emirates government.
According to police sources, Wetang’ula, three politicians and at least three lawyers are currently being investigated over the scandal.
But last evening, his personal assistant Chris Mandu Mandu denied claims that Bungoma Senator was involved in the scam saying he, too, was a victim.
“This was a business deal gone sour that is now being peddled around by his business partners, who also lost money in the business transaction. It is very unfortunate that some people are now trying to politicise the whole matter in which the Senator lost huge amounts of money,” Mandu.
On Friday, DCI had said that a senator, three politicians and at least three lawyers are suspected to be colluding with gold fraudsters to con unsuspecting foreigners of billions of shillings by selling them fake gold.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations boss George Kinoti has formed a special team to investigate the scam and warned foreigners to consult the police and the Department of Geology whenever they intend to purchase gold.
“The gold scam has now reached alarming levels as unsuspecting foreigners are being swindled large amounts of money by fraudsters,” he said.
Recently, the Vice President and Prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, and ruler of the Emirate of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, wrote to the Government of Kenya to protest against the scam and demanded action.
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They linked Wetang’ula to the fake gold trade which is said to involve politicians and lawyers.
And later last evening, John Mondoh another aide to the Senator called our newsroom and claimed fraudsters had approached Wetang’ula seeking his assistance, but that he had declined.
“The senator turned down their overtures and was not involved in the process at all. It is true that he knows some of the people who were involved, but he was not party to their criminal activities,” Mondoh said.
According to police sources, the scheme started on September 25, 2018 when the suspected fraudsters approached a nephew of Sheikh Maktoum Ali Zandi, who represents Zlivia, a gold trading company based in Dubai, saying they would deliver five tonnes of gold from the Ndande tribe in the DRC Congo.
The gold was to be moved to Kenya by road from DRC via Uganda. On September 27, the Kenyan group allegedly used fake social media reports claiming the gold had been detained at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. This, according to police, prompted Massoud Zandi, a representative of the gold trading company, to call Wetang’ula for help.
On December 15, 2018, the Senator flew to Dubai at the invitation of Zandi for a meeting during which he assured his host he would help release the gold.
Wetang’ula allegedly invoked the name of a Cabinet secretary, claiming the CS wanted Sh200 million before he could intervene to have the cargo released. The sheikhs in Dubai revealed they had been promised 23 tonnes cargo.
Kinoti said the fraudsters had even leased premises at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and were using unscrupulous government officials to facilitate their movements at the airports and government offices.
In a statement on Friday, DCI boss George Kinoti has urged foreign Embassies and High Commissions to alert their nationals coming to Kenya for gold business.
Kinoti says unsuspecting foreign nationals have lost millions of shillings to gold scammers in the recent weeks.
#FraudAlert!!🚨 #DCI attention has been drawn to an upsurge in criminal cases involving the procurement & sale of #Gold in the country.
The Gold Scam has now reached alarming levels as unsuspecting foreign nationals are being swindled large amounts of money by the Fraudsters.
— DCI KENYA (@DCI_Kenya) May 9, 2019
Kinoti has urged foreigners to first contact the Department of Mines and Geology for guidelines regarding buying and selling of gold and other valuable metals.
“They are to be apprised of the Con business of gold going on in the country,” Kinoti says.
Last month, detectives arrested six suspects with 50 kilograms of fake gold in Nairobi’s Kilimani area.
The suspects were identified as Grace Wairimu Machatha, Erascos Katiku Josiah, Niyitegeka Sevelin, Dushimiriman Egide, Zilimwabagabu Jacrues, and Ngaragura Emmanuel.
14 other suspects were also recently arrested in a crackdown against fake gold and counterfeit currency rackets in the capital.
The suspects, who were arrested in a house in Langata, were in possession of 100 kilos of fake gold and millions of counterfeit United States dollars.