A Milimani Chief Magistrate court detained a businessman who allegedly defrauded a Canadian national over Sh712 million in a gold scam for 10 days pending investigations
This is after the Director of Criminal Investigations through Charles Odhiambo asked Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina to allow them detain Salim Frejus Hector Joyau Ahassi pending investigations.
Hector Ahassi was arrested on October 25, after Maxime Harouna Sawadogo, a Canadian national made a complaint claiming that he was lured into the scheme by Ahassi, whom he met in 2022 at a church in Canada.
Sawadogo says Ahassi convinced him to invest in a lucrative gold sale, promising returns in the millions.
According to Sawadogo, Ahassi presented himself as well-connected in Africa, with access to large amounts of gold and ready buyers from Belgium.
“This alleged transaction began with an estimated price of USD35,000 per kilogram of gold, with profits supposedly shared equally. The scale of the potential earnings made it sound like a once-in-a-lifetime investment,” said Odhiambo.
Sawadogo claims that, based on Ahassi’s promises, he began transferring funds, initially totaling over USD1 million or Sh130 million soon after, Ahassi instructed him to transfer additional amounts directly to an agent’s account in Ghana, reportedly to avoid “complications”.
“Ahassi told Sawadogo that processing the gold would yield about 2 million Euros in profits if they invested in 100 kilograms,” Odhiambo said.
“But over time, the story kept changing, with new excuses and complications, and no gold was ever delivered.”
The scheme allegedly escalated, with Sawadogo sending funds through various channels, including bank transfers and, at times, via the informal hawala system.
In total, Sawadogo claims he transferred approximately USD5.47 million for 490 kgs gold consignment.
“This has been a two-year ordeal for Sawadogo,” Odhiambo stated.
“Each time he was close to closing a deal, Ahassi and his associates claimed new obstacle first a policy change in Ghana, then alleged customs issues in Dubai, and finally, that the gold was moved to Kenya.”
According to preliminary investigations, the scam involves an international syndicate operating across Africa, with Kenyan agents linked to the alleged fraud.
“The complexities of this case are substantial,” Odhiambo told the court.
“The respondent, Ahassi, has no fixed residence in Kenya, holds both Beninese and Canadian affiliations, and is considered a flight risk. This requires us to coordinate with international law enforcement agencies and foreign embassies to ensure justice is served.”
Odhiambo argued that further time was needed to track and document other potential victims and conduct a forensic analysis of mobile phones recovered from Ahassi.
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