Three suspects including the Deputy Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were on Thursday arraigned at the Kibra Law Courts over allegations of involvement in multi-million fraud.
Their arraignment followed the conclusion of an inquiry by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) into allegations of forgery and conspiracy to commit a felony.
The case dates back to March 2023, when officials from the United States Embassy in Kenya contacted the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to probe several diplomatic documents that were allegedly falsified.
During the probe, the DCI officers found out that the falsified documents emanated from the Ministry of Foreign and Diplomatic Affairs and were allegedly signed and released by the Deputy Chief of Protocol.
According to the detectives, the documents sought entry visas to the US for 19 officials, four officials reportedly from the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), ten officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and five from the Ministry of Transport.
The investigators also found out that the documents were submitted to the US Embassy Consular Section Nairobi by a clerk at the Immigration Protocol Office for approval.
The DCI officers further realised that two officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs alongside a third accomplice, a civilian, were fraudulently obtaining cash from unsuspecting citizens on the pretence of helping them obtain US visas.
Additionally, Investigations revealed that only six out of the 19 individuals listed for consideration for US visas and subsequent travel to Washington DC, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco, were legitimate employees of the government.
“The other 13 were the suspects' means to living large, each channelling up to Sh600,000 to the bank account of the third suspect,” the DCI officers disclosed.
After months of probing the matter and undertaking a forensic document examination, the investigators preferred appropriate charges which were approved by the ODPP after reviewing the facts and evidence submitted by the DCI.
Following their arraignment at the Kibra Law Courts today, the three were charged with conspiracy to commit a felony but released on a cash bail of Ksh50,000 for each suspect.
"The DCI assures all embassies and high commissions in the country of its readiness to provide prompt assistance in criminal investigations, of any persons or entities that jeopardize the integrity of diplomatic notes," the detectives stated.
