How diplomat was conned of millions in fake gold scam

By , April 22, 2025

Every morning as light filters into his hotel room in Nairobi, Godoua Imendji Jesus Pierrot, a diplomat and businessman from the Central African Republic, prays that he gets back even half of the millions he has spent on nothing.

He takes stock of an unknown torturous journey where he has forked out an estimated Sh80 million for air in the name of gold promised by some businessmen who have even invoked the name of President William Ruto.

From December 29, 2024, he has been in and out of Hong Kong, Philippines, Qatar, Kenya and various police stations, all in the name of trying to recover the money he has spent.

His tribulations began when he met Moussa Yele Harsene in the city of Bangui in his native Central African Republic on December 29, 2024.

“I wish to state that on 29th December 2024, while on a visit in my home country Central Africa Republic, I met one Moussa Yele Harsene of Central Africa Republic in Bangui city,” a calm but visibly confused Jesus Pierrot told journalists during a press briefing.

In the introduction and conversation that ensued between his newly met business friend, Moussa presented himself as a businessman dealing in buying and selling of gold with his clientele cut across the world.

At some point, Jesus Pierrot recalls that Moussa went ahead and showed him a sample of the gold he was selling “something that caught my attention to a level that I got interested in the business.”

He did not waste a minute. He placed an order of some kilos of gold which he wanted to take back to Beijing, China. Jesus Pierrot has lived in China for the last 20 years where he studied, works, has a company and represents his country’s embassy as a business consular.

“I paid USD 70,500 (Sh9, 094, 500) in cash for the said order on agreement that Moussa would send it to Hong Kong as cargo.

“However, after arriving in Hong Kong, Moussa and I visited the customs office to inquire whether the cargo had arrived only for him to inform me that there was an issue that came up indicating that it had been confiscated by customs office in Kenya as it had exceeded the weight captured in the transit documents,” he said.

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