Equity Bank has denied any links with the deported Turkey national and Deputy President William Ruto’s associate Harun Aydin.
Appearing before the National Assembly Parliamentary Investments Committee (PIC), bank’s Managing Director Gerald Warui said Aydin has no loan or account with the bank
“I am not aware of any phone call from DP William Ruto on the Sh.15 billion transaction with Equity. Turkish businessman Harun Aydin doesn’t have any relationship with Equity bank. He’s not our Customer, doesn’t posses any credit facility from us,” he said.
Warui also denied being aware of money-laundering links to a Ugandan pharmaceutical company linked to Aydin.
Early this month, Ruto claimed he had helped Aydin secure a Sh15 billion loan from Equity as investment capital for his said business venture in Uganda.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i linked Aydin to an intricate web involved in trans-national crimes among them money laundering within the East African region.
Appearing before the National Security and Administration Committee of the National Assembly in Mombasa, Matiang’i told the committee Aydin was deported over suspicion of money laundering and interaction with known syndicate of criminal networks with the EAC.
“One of his associates in a neighbouring country had actually been arrested in a third country while he was bribing a minister. So when this was flagged to us, we also of course got interested in this person that is how we tracked his movement in Sudan, Zanzibar, Goma, Uganda. That is behaviour in most cases is characteristic of people engaged in money laundering and you know money laundering and terrorism are crimes that usually joined in the hip.” Matiang’i said.
According to Matiang’i, the Kenyan Government issued Aydin with a work permit on June 25, 2021 after he expressed interest in investing in the energy sector.
However, Aydin’s questionable dealings were discovered when the State monitored his frequent trips into and outside Kenya.
“When a work permit is given to a foreigner, when they make movements, we know and we can tell what they are doing,” he said.
“In tracing Aydin’s movements, we discovered he was moving around, a lot. At one time, he was in Goma, another time Sudan, Zanzibar, Entebbe, among others.”
Matiang’i dismissed claims that the government apologised over Aydin’s deportation despite protest by Ruto and his allies. Ruto had apologised to his Turkish ally through a Twitter post.
“The government of the Republic of Kenya cannot, would not and has not apologized, because there is nothing wrong we have done on this matter, and we have done what we have agreed with the Turkish government, to deport their citizen so that they can deal with him,’’ said Matiang’i.
