The Assests Recovery Agency was unable to trace Ksh5 billion which had been allegedly deposited into bank accounts linked to Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua.
According to documents filed in court by ARA, the MP reportedly received a total of Ksh12.5 billion in suspicious payments since 2013.
The Agency stated that Ksh7.3 billion was withdrawn from the accounts in question, and which could be supported by relevant documents, leaving a deficit of Ksh5 billion which could not be supported by withdrawal documents.
The ARA petitioned the court on Wednesday, October 7, to allow the agency to seize Ksh200 million which remained in the accounts.
“Preliminary investigations established that the respondents were involved in suspected complex scheme of money laundering involving several companies, which initially received funds from government ministries and State agencies and later transferred the funds to companies/business entities associated with Gachagua and ultimately transferred the funds to Gachagua’s personal accounts.
“There are reasonable grounds to believe that the said accounts received and are holding funds which are believed to be proceeds of crime and the accounts were used to execute a complex money laundering scheme in an effort designed to conceal, disguise and hide the nature, source, movement and disposition of the funds,” the court was told.
Some of the sources of the suspicious deposits include the Ministry of Lands (Kenya Informal Settlements Programme), State Department for Planning, Ministry of Health, Bungoma County Government, Mathira CDF, Nyeri County Government and the National Irrigation Board.
The MP, who once served as President Uhuru Kenyatta's PA has denied that he is a billionaire, adding that he wished to become a genuine billionaire as claimed.
"People are just pushing narratives and attributing a lot of money to us. and those are good prayers.
One day I believe I will be a genuine billionaire and not the one being creating on social media," he told the media during a past interview.
Rigathi is also involved in a tussle between a firm associated with the lawmaker and a Chinese company, China Petroleum.
A past report by the Business Daily indicated that the High Court barred Tripple Eight Construction Company, associated with the MP, from charging or selling a building in Nairobi West over a Ksh 21 million debt row.
