The court has ruled that the Ksh13 million seized during a raid on a house linked to Nairobi businesswoman Nancy Kigunzu popularly known as "Mathe wa Ngara" - be forfeited to the state.
The money was recovered together with bulks of bhang from a house in Ngara during a drug raid on August 21, 2023 - Mathe wa Ngara was arrested.
On August 25, 2023, the court ruled that the money was 'proceeds of crime' and ordered it be transferred to the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK).
Milimani Anti-Corruption Court Judge Justice Esther Maina ruled in favour of a petition by Assets Recovery Authority (ARA) - that the money is indeed proceeds of crime.
“Having found that the money is proceeds of crime, I have no alternative but to forfeit it to the state (the Government of Kenya) as per the provided,” the court ruled.
“The only reasonable conclusion that this court can draw is that the money was kept in that manner to avoid detection by the authorities. The money falls within the definition of proceeds of crime".
Mathe wa Ngara was taken into custody on August 21, 2023 and released on a Ksh1 million cash bail on December 20, 2023.
ARA claimed that the money may be part of a complex money-laundering scheme.
By Fridah Wangechi | 1 year ago
By Fridah Wangechi | 2 years ago