Interior Cabinet Secretary, Fred Matiang'i, has shed light on the controversial removal of Turkish businessman Harun Aydin from the country.
Speaking before a parliamentary committee in Mombasa on Friday, August 13, the CS stated that Aydin was removed following an agreement between Kenya and the Turkish government.
The CS explained that Kenya was to charge Aydin with money laundering and terrorism-related crimes, but a standing agreement between the two countries saw him handed over to Turkish authorities for interrogation and subsequent action.
"We deported him on the understanding we had with the government. We mutually agreed with the Turkish government to surrender him to their security agencies to process him," the Interior CS stated.
He added that the businessman did not have the right papers and his passport showed that he had left the country twice without a stamp of arrival.
"His passport shows he has left the country twice without a stamp of arrival, this means he was sneaked into the country, and this is alarming enough to kick him out. Issuance of a work permit doesn't guarantee a permanent stay in the country," added Matiang'i.
"Information filled on the work permit was incorrect and fraudulent, he is not an investor as purported. There's no investment anywhere. He was a criminal, a strange character masquerading as an investor."
Matiang'i told MPs that Aydin's documents indicated that he was working in the energy sector, but his contract was a dummy and during investigations, they realized that he did not have a known address.
"The phone numbers Harun Aydin filled in his work permit were ringing and picked by other people. We were ready to charge him in a court of law, but we also have a mutual relationship with the Turkish government," Matiang'i stated.
The CS also noted that the Government of Kenya has not apologized to Turkey as reports had earlier claimed, adding that various people have been deported during his tenure as the Interior CS.
"As a responsible public servant, I cannot bring myself to apologise. I have a responsibility to safeguard the country," the Interior boss stated.
This comes barely four days after the businessman, who is an associate of Deputy President William Ruto, was removed from Kenya.
Speaking at Kahawa Law Courts on Monday, August 9, his lawyer, Ahmednassir Abdullahi, indicated that Harun was removed from Nairobi at night.
