A Chadian national was on Wednesday sentenced by a Nairobi Court to four years in prison for being in possession of Ksh960 million fake currency in different denominations.
The prosecution while arguing its case had informed the court that the foreign national had not shown remorse for breaking Kenyan laws and constantly possessed fake currency with reckless abandon.
Agreeing with the prosecution, Senior Principal Magistrate Benmark Ekhubi found the Chadian guilty of 3 counts related to the fraud.
He was handed four years in prison without the option of a fine or repossession of the money.
To that end, he was sentenced to two years in prison for forgery and two years for obtaining money under false pretence.
Since the sentences will run concurrently, he will only spend four years in prison.
The Chadian national was first arrested in 2018 at an apartment in Westlands, Nairobi.
Detectives had closed on him after they received reports that he intended to defraud a Kenyan national of Ksh1 million (USD 6,796) with the false promise of investing in a business.
Upon ransacking his apartment, they found fake currency in dollar and Euro denominations.
The case dragged on for over four years with the prosecution calling 7 witnesses to prove that the Chadian was guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
It is illegal under Section 349 of the Penal Code to be in possession of forged cash with a minimum prison sentence of three years upon conviction.
Additionally, the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) can institute additional punishment for offenders.
According to CBK Currency Handling Regulations, 2010, “A person who presents for replacement notes that have been found to be counterfeit commits an offence and shall, in addition to any punishment provided for in any other law, be liable to a penalty, payable to the Bank, of twice the total face value of the counterfeit notes.”
