A judge has ordered that the Ksh123 million seized from a Nigerian national at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport be surrendered to a state agency.
Justice James Wakiaga ruled that the funds seized from Mauzu Bala on transit from Nigeria to Dubai should be preserved following an application by the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA).
In addition, the Judge allowed ARA to apply for the funds to be relinquished to the state if found to be acquired through crime. Investigation about the source of money seized from Bala is ongoing.
ARA filed an application before a magistrate at JKIA, but the ruling had yet to be delivered, forcing the agency to rush to the High Court.
The Nigerian was heading to Dubai from home in Nigeria when he was arrested at a transit lounge withing the airport.
The money - 880,000 US Dollars, 60,000 Euros and 63,000 Nigerian Naira - was stacked in his hand luggage.
Bala allegedly had no documents to support the source, purpose and movement of the cash.
According to Bala, the money was for business purposes in Dubai.
ARA stated that Bala’s failure to declare that he was carrying that kind of cash, as well as failure to produce legal documents supporting the legitimacy and source of money raised suspicion of illicit money.
Section 12 (1) of the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act requires a person to declare any amount above $10,000 (approximately Sh1 million).
In June 2020, six raids were conducted by the Dubai Police concurrently to fish out scammers living in the United Arab Emirates.
The Dubai Police Force reportedly arrested 12 alleged Nigerian Scammers as part of their special operation dubbed ‘’Fox Hunt 2.’’
