Swiss Govt Gives 1 Condition For Release of Ksh200 Million Graft Money

Swiss authorities have given one condition for the release of Ksh200 million of corruption money stashed in the country.

The money is linked to the multi-billion Anglo Leasing scam where more than Ksh60 billion was stolen from public coffers.

Swiss authorities stated the cash will only be wired to Kenya after completion of judicial proceedings on Anglo Leasing cases and a ruling on recovery of the money.

“Assets seized in Switzerland may be returned to Kenya based on a final and executable confiscation decision from the Kenyan Judiciary.

“For the money to be returned, the court proceedings first have to end in Kenya,” Saskia Salzmann, a diplomatic attaché at the Embassy of Switzerland to Kenya told the Sunday Nation.

Salzman indicated once the conditions are met, a discussion will take place under the Framework for the Return of Assets from Corruption and Crime to Kenya as to how best to reimburse the money so that it benefits the population.

Businessmen Deepak Kamani, Rashmi Kamani and Chamanlal Kamani are among those who have been charged for the 2003 graft.

 Others include former permanent secretaries Joseph Magari (Finance), Dave Mwangi (Provincial Administration), and David Onyonka (former head of debt management at the Treasury)

In 2018, President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Swiss counterpart Alain Berset signed an agreement that cleared the way for the recovery of assets acquired through corruption in Kenya and stashed in foreign countries.

“In the spirit of the Global Forum on Asset Recovery’s Principles for Disposition and Transfer of Confiscated Stolen Assets in Corruption Cases, returns should proceed in a transparent and accountable manner with the mutual consent of both Kenya and the partner offering the return,” the new agreement states.

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