The High Court has allowed the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) to freeze Ksh113 million found in the bank account of a friend to one Felista Nyamathira Njoroge who recently made headlines after receiving over Ksh100 million from a Belgian boyfriend.
The money found in Tebby Wambuku Kago’s bank account is believed to be proceeds of crime.
In orders issued on Tuesday, Justice Esther Maina ordered the freezing of the money until investigations are carried out to establish the source of the money.
The court heard that Tebby received Ksh71 million and Ksh37 million between August 10, 2021, and early November 2021. The Ksh37 million is held in two equity bank accounts belonging to Tebby.
Also frozen is Ksh5 million held at Stanbic Bank account owned by Felista.
While seeking orders to freeze the assets, ARA said Tebby opened the account in February as a self-employed businesswoman but the money did not depict the source of the purported business.
“That preservation orders are hereby issued prohibiting the respondents (Wambuku and Nyamathira) and or their representatives, employees, agents, servants or any other persons acting on their behalf from transacting, withdrawing, transferring, dealing in any manner whatsoever in respect to the funds and any profits or benefits derived or accrued from held in the three bank account,” the court ordered.
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The court was told that the amount was wired to Tebby’s account by Felista’s Belgian boyfriend, Marc De Mesel.
Mesel, a cryptocurrency expert, had in November sent Felista Ksh102.7 million.
The money was frozen following a request by ARA despite protests from the college student.
The 21-year-old claimed the money which was split into four transactions, was a gift from Mesel.
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ARA investigators believe the two women are part of a complex money-laundering ring.
“The two women are suspected to be part of a syndicate involved in a complex money-laundering scheme involving themselves and foreign Nationals and their bank accounts are used as a conduit of complex money laundering,” said ARA lawyer.
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