Nairobi News

NewsWhat's Hot

Man intercepted carrying Sh238 million at JKIA

By Hillary Kimuyu February 17th, 2022 1 min read

Authorities have arrested a man who was intercepted at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi while carrying Sh238 million (about $ 2 million) in cash.

The suspect, a Kenyan who was traveling with the money which was in foreign currency was intercepted when he arrived in the country from Bujumbura, Burundi.

Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) officials suspect the man is involved in a money laundering scheme.

“The money packed as a parcel containing USD 2 million was seized following a wrongful declaration on the intended destination,” said KRA in a statement.

According to the authority, the passenger made a declaration of the currency indicating the origin as Banque de Credit de Bujumbura (BCB) to a recipient Brinks Global Services, Kenya.

It added that after clearance by Customs Unit at the airport, the traveller later presented the same money at the Swissport Cargo shed with different export documents for shipment to Global Services, UK.

“The documents produced to support the export request were different from those produced on entry into the country,” it said.

KRA has since requested Asset Recovery Agency (ARA) to assist in investigating the matter as a possible money-laundering attempt after noting the inconsistencies in information provided by the passenger.

Investigations have since been launched.

Section 12 (1) of the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act requires a person to declare any amount above $10,000 (approximately over Sh1 million).

The Act gives the agency powers to obtain a court order seizing money within five days, where there is reasonable grounds to believe that it is illicit money.