Kenya is set to receive Ksh444 million from the Jersey authorities, that had been stolen and stashed in offshore accounts by former Energy Minister Chris Okemo and former Kenya Power boss Samuel Gichuru.
This will be the first batch of the cash sent back to Kenya, after several Kenyans’ accounts were frozen over eight years ago after being found to be proceeds of corruption and theft.
The two were found to have received over Ksh997 million in hard currency, but only the Ksh526 million had been recovered after they wired it back to Kenya.
The Ksh444 million will be wired to the Kenyan government after deducting court expenses, and the money will be used for Covid-19 expenses, including procurement of essential medical equipment and supplies, and supporting health infrastructure in counties where there is limited funding, high risk of infection and limited bed capacity.
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“These funds belong to the Kenyan people. Once finalised, the first return under this agreement by the Attorney-General of Jersey will, at the request of the Government of Kenya, provide Ksh444 million towards the Covid-19 recovery,” Jersey authorities said.
Okemo used Windward Trading in Jersey as the entity which would receive bribes disguised as ‘commissions’ or ‘consultancy fees’ from companies that won tenders from Kenya Power.
Walbrook Trustees (Jersey) Ltd, who were the administrators of Windward, would wire back the money to Okemo.
The two, Okemo and Gichuru, could be extradited to Jersey to face corruption and money laundering charges, if the Supreme Court nods to the case filed by the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
The two face a jail term of up to 14 years in Jersey, in case they are extradited and found guilty.
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