The State now wants to seize the palatial homes belonging to two sons of slain drug baron Ibrahim Akasha nestled in the upmarket Nyali, Mombasa county, among other properties valued at billions of shillings.

Baktash Akasha Abdalla and Ibrahim Akasha Abdalla pleaded guilty to charges related to drug offences, firearm offences, corruption and bribery offences and were sentenced to serve 25 and 23 years imprisonment respectively by the United States District Court of New York in August 16, 2019.

The Akashas were sentenced in the US court following their extradition from Kenya in November 2015.

In the application filed before high court judge, Erick Ogolla, the director of Anti Narcotics Police Unit, Dr Hamisi Massa, is seeking for forfeiture of a beach house in Nyali Mombasa, eight gold chains, one land cruiser motor vehicle of registration number KBU 900Y, Range Rover registration KBK 111D, Toyota Alphard registration number KBN 085D, Toyota Premio KBY 448W, assets of unknown value located in Mombasa and Nairobi, and firearms.

Pleaded guilty

In his application, Massa indicates that the properties belong to Baktash Akasha Abdalla and Ibrahim Akasha Abdalla, and that the subjects pleaded guilty to charges related to drug offences, firearm offences corruption and bribery offences were sentenced to 25 and 23 years in prison.

The two were arrested and extradited to the US on November 9, 2015 alongside Pakistan national Gulam Hussein and Vijigiri Goswami.

Massa in his application informed Justice Ogolla that the motor vehicles and gold chains are properties retained in police custody and are liable to forfeiture by the Assets recovery agency pursuant to proceed of crime and Anti- money Laundering Act (POCAMLA) section 23 and Narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances (Control) Act No 4 of 1994 and National police service Acts laws of Kenya.

One of the houses in the high end estates of Nyali is estimated to be over Sh400 million according to police documents.

Massa through state counsel David Fedha told the court that an inventory of firearms among them a Taurus pistol, serial number THN02299, ammunition, one shot gun serial number 1066656, one Taurus pistol, three ceska magazines each loaded with 16 round of ammunitions, and 25 rounds of shot run ammunition (8B CORONA) were handed over to the DEA country attaché Nairobi to be shipped to the USA, where they were used as exhibits in the trial of Akashas and three others.

Beach properties

But Baktash, Najma Baktash has opposed the application by the state, seeking to forfeit the properties, arguing that the beach properties belonged to his late father in law Ibrahim Akasha who was shot dead in 2000 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

“I oppose the move by the government to investigate the ownership of the properties, the golden chains belonged to my mother in law which she was given by the deceased as gifts. I urge the court to order the state to return the properties to my mother-in-law,” she said.

Justice Ogolla issued summons to the Assets and Recovery Agency official Jennifer Burti to appear in court and explain to the court in details how the multi-billion shilling properties are linked to the illicit drug trafficking trade.

The matter is set for hearing on March 3.