Lawyer arrested over Sh79million fake gold scam to take plea on Monday
Canadian investor was lured into a non-existent export deal involving 250 kilogrammes of gold, allegedly set for shipment to Dubai aboard a private jet
Two suspects arrested in connection with in a fake gold scam in which a Canadian investor was defrauded Sh79.7million (US$618,000), has been released on police bail pending plea taking on Monday.
Michael Otieno Owano, the proprietor of Otieno M.O. Law Advocates, Francis Talla Ouafo, also known as Allain, a Cameroonian national, are accused of defrauding Bruno Fettweis, the Director of KBox Solutions, after he was lured by the latter into a fake gold export deal involving 250 kilogrammes of gold, allegedly set for shipment to Dubai aboard a private jet.
The DCI said on April 15, a Proforma Invoice of Sh41.09 million (US$318,400) was issued by EAI Logistics, with the funds allegedly wired to Owano’s law firm account.
He was later asked to send an additional Sh38.7 million (US$300,000) to a cryptocurrency wallet, but no gold was ever delivered.
Owano was arrested by detectives from the Operations Support Unit (OSU) on Thursday for his alleged role in the scam, as the Directorate of Criminal Investigations Department (DCI) intensified its efforts against transnational gold fraud syndicates, responsible for defrauding foreign investors of hundreds of thousands of dollars through elaborate fake gold schemes.
Ouafo, also known as Allain, a Cameroonian national, who is believed to be the mastermind of the syndicate, was first arraigned on July 31 before Milimani Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina, who allowed the police to hold him in remand at Capitol Hill Police Station until Tuesday.
In a separate case, Lupemba Lorenzi Olivier, a Congolese national, appeared at the Milimani Law Courts in connection with a fraudulent gold deal targeting a Gabonese investor.
Detectives secured a seven-day custodial order to finalise investigations. The matter is scheduled for mention on August 13.
Another suspect, Kelvin Otieno Onyango, alias Kevo Sonko, the alleged director of SwiftTaxis Logistics Ltd, was also arrested for his role in the same case.
The complainant was led to his office, where they negotiated and formalised the gold deal. He later transferred US$140,000 into an escrow account.
Onyango was also set to be arraigned in court after processing by the DCI.
