Foreigners charged with Sh215m gold trade scam

Two foreigners have been charged before a Milimani court, in Nairobi for defrauding a businessman of gold worth Sh215 million in a fake transaction.

Mr Abdallah Mckeny Mckenzy a Cameroonian and Mr Ted Malik Lounou from Gabon were accused of obtaining $30,451 from businessman Celik Mesut.

They got the funds after pretending they were in a position to sell 33 kilogrammes of gold worth $1,732,500 which is equivalent to Sh215,176,500.

Appearing before Milimani Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina, the pair denied the charge.

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The prosecution says the duo obtained the money on diverse dates between the month of October and December 10, 2022 at Kilimani within Nairobi county.

They committed the offence jointly with others, not before the court. After denying the charges, the two accused sought to be released on bail terms pending the trial.

They claimed that they will abide by all conditions the court set.

But prosecutor Anderson Gikunda opposed their request for release pending the hearing of the case on grounds that they are a flight risk being foreigners.

The prosecutor informed the court that Mr Ted Malik Louno has no known place of abode and that on December 23, 2022, he was charged and fined Sh136,000 before Kahawa Law courts for being unlawfully present in Kenya.

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"The accused persons are a flight risk, we will be urging this court to deny the accused persons bond, and the matter to be heard on a priority basis," submitted the prosecutor.

The defence in a quick rejoinder objected to the application by the DPP to deny them bond stating that the application violates their fundamental human rights.

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