A Kenyan is under investigation after he was nabbed with Ksh238 Million in foreign currency at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
According to reports, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) Customs Officers based at JKIA intercepted Ksh238 Million from the Kenyan who had arrived in the country from Bujumbura, Burundi.
The money was packed as a parcel containing 2 million dollars and was seized following a wrongful declaration of the intended destination.
"Upon arrival, the passenger made a declaration of the currency indicating the origin as Banque de Credit de Bujumbura (BCB) to a recipient Brinks Global Services, Kenya," a statement from the taxman read in part.
The traveller was first cleared by the Customs Unit at the airport but he later showed the same cash at the Swissport Cargo shed with different export documents for shipment to Global Services, United Kingdom.
Officials noticed that the documents supporting the export request were different from the ones that were earlier produced on entry into the country.
"After noting the inconsistencies in information provided by the passenger, KRA has invited Asset Recovery Agency (ARA) to assist in investigating the matter as a possible money-laundering attempt.
"The money has been held and the matter is under investigation. KRA encourages passengers to correctly declare all cargo/items at the Ports of entry and exit as required under the provisions of the Second and Third Schedules of the EAC Customs Management Act, 2004," the statement added.
Kenya has witnessed incidents of travellers being seized with unexplained cash at JKIA in the past few months. The recent incident was on Thursday night, January 27, 2022.
A Bahrain national was arrested with $975,000 (over Ksh100 million) in cash. The suspect's effort to bypass airport security with the concealed money failed. He had carried the money in several bags and was apprehended while attempting to board a plane destined for Manama, Bahrain.
Officials who were acting on a tip shared by the Financial Report Centre (FRC), caught the foreigner while he was trying to get on an Egyptian Airlines plane.
When asked to explain the source of the money, the foreigner reportedly stated that it was payment for work done. Detectives revealed that the man had attempted to bank the money earlier in the day but was not successful. This prompted him to rush towards the passenger terminal to board a plane out of the country.
It was suspected that the cash may have been proceeds of money laundering.
