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Thirteen suspects, including a DCI officer, arrested on Friday over the Sh1 billion fake gold scam were yesterday arraigned in court with DCI seeking 21 days to continue detaining them to enable him complete the probe in the matter

The suspects are being investigated for defrauding a Tunisia businessman at city estate.

Appearing before Milimani magistrate Gilbert Shikwe the DCI through inspector of police Nicholas Njoroge sought to have the suspects detained at Kilimani police station for another three weeks to enable police conclude the probe into the matter.

The suspects present in court are Cameroonian Nelson Fru Che and Liberian Ronald Johnson, Constable Festo Akula Wamwayi, David Walumoli Misiko, Lenace Wakachuka, Rahma Abdi Hassan, Joseph Gikonyo, Stephen Robert Andere, Alice Kavata, Flevian Omwoyo, Ian Wekesa Milongo, Duncan Muchai Ndichu and Nabel Suleiman.

In an affidavit filed in court, Njoroge told the court that the suspects are being investigated for conspiracy to commit a felony, being in possession of a firearm and ammunitions without license and  being in possession of forged bank notes.

The suspects who were arrested on Friday last week are said to have  committed on diverse dates between August 1 and September 8 where the complainant was to be defrauded Sh1 billion by suspects together with others yet to be arrested for non existing of gold.

Contacted from Tunisia

Njoroge informed the court the complainant was contacted from Tunisia by Joseph Lendrix Waswa and the director Melpa Ltd he had consignment of gold he was selling valued at Sh1 billion and was being held in at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).

The court heard that the complainant therefore travelled from Tunisia and arrived at JKIA on September 1 and was received by businessman Waswa and his group and hosted at Ngara area in Nairobi waiting to be shown the gold consignment.

“Waswa informed the complainant to pay for the gold consignment but the foreigner trader insisted on being shown the consignment before making any payment,” Officer Njoroge stated.

Following the request, the complainant detected that the suspects were not genuine and alerted the police who kept vigil on the complainant movement and communication with the suspects

Trailed by police

On September  7 the suspects met with the complainant within the Ngara area in Nairobi and took the complainant to a residential house LR No. 4894/152 at Garden Estate. The police officer trailed the suspects and managed to arrest them while some escaped by climbing the perimeter wall to evade arrest.

“Upon conducting a search of the house, $4.68 million was found inside metal boxies which the complainant had been deceived that they contain gold consignment,” Njoroge told the magistrate. “Most of the metal boxes contained sand and pieces of stones and not gold consignment as alleged by the respondents.”

He added police also recovered several mobile phones used to defraud unsuspecting clients belonging to the suspects at the house.

Further, Constable Festo Akula Wamwayi stationed at Kisasi in Kitui County was arrested at the house after he went to the rescue of the suspects upon arrest.

‘A firearm make CESKA SCZ85B serial number H1035 with a magazine loaded with 16 rounds of ammunition of 9mm and a hand cuff S/No. 331564 was recovered inside, one motor vehicle registration number KBK 510H make Nissan sunny silver in colour belonging to the officer Wamwayi and which we have established it is not a police firearm,” Njoroge said.

The court heard that DCI detectives also recovered a military jungle uniform from the car belonging to Wamwayi.

He also told the court that the main suspects Waswa and Samuel Maina Wakaba of Melpa Limited and who had rented the house where fake $4.68 million were recovered are still at large and are believed to be armed and dangerous thus need for their arrest and recovery of the firearms as they may interfere with the ongoing investigations and witness intimidation.

The court heard Che and Johnson who are foreigners from Cameroon and Liberia respectively upon arrest they could not produce their valid travel, passport, visa, work permit documents to police thus need to further investigate them and their involvement in criminal activities within Kenyan jurisdiction.

Njoroge stated that they have detained eight motor vehicles registration number KBK 510H, KDD 263F, KDK 771N, KDK 030H, KDL 915A, KCV 694F, KDL 180R and KDL348 were used by the suspects during the commission of the offences and are yet to obtain details of the registered owners from National transport and safety Authority. The officer further revealed that DCI is also investigating other complaints involving Mepla Ltd directors Waswa and Wakaba and together with the 13 suspects.

While seeking to detain the suspects further, the investigating officer said he intends to subject the recovered exhibits including the firearms, ammunitions, fake money, mobile phones to ballistic experts at DCI headquarters, document examination section DCI headquarters, US embassy, mobile network providers, Immigration office, NTSA, National registration Bureau, Registrar of Companies, KRA office, cyber- crime and Forensic lab.

The magistrate however ordered the suspects be detained in custody until today at 10 am when he will render his ruling on the state application.