Ibrahim Akasha and his brother Bakhtash Akasha signed a plea bargain with the United States (US) authorities in a bid to get a lenient sentence over drug trafficking charges.
The agreement means that the duo admits guilt to charges of drug trafficking, bribery and violence thereby stopping any further criminal prosecution of the Akashas, except for tax violations.
In the document written by US attorney Geoffrey Berman, the siblings also face a Ksh1 billion fine or Ksh5 million for each of the six accounts they have been charged with.
It prevents both the siblings and the government from appealing their sentence that will be delivered in February 2019.
The agreement reads, “The defendant also agrees not to appeal any fine that is equal to or less than $10,000,000 (Ksh1 billion) and the government agrees not to appeal any fine that is equal to $50,000 (Ksh5 million).
The duo will lose all assets that they had acquired using their criminal undertakings.
“The defendant hereby admits the forfeiture allegation with respect to counts one, two, three and four of the information.” reads the plea bargain.
It explains, “They agree to forfeit to the United States all property constituting or derived from any proceeds of the defendant obtained directly or indirectly as a result of the offences described, as well as any and all property used or intended to be used to facilitate the commission of the offences.”
Kenyan judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement officers have been accused of receiving millions in bribes from the Akasha family to frustrate their extradition to the US.
The payoffs are also reported to have ensured the protection of the barons’ illegal operations by local authorities.
