Wamuzi News Ke
A prominent Nairobi-based lawyer has been arrested in connection with a high-profile Sh79.9 million gold scam that allegedly defrauded a Canadian investor.
The dramatic arrest took place on Thursday following weeks of investigations by detectives attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).According to investigators, the lawyer is accused of playing a central role in the elaborate scheme, which promised the foreign investor a lucrative gold deal in Kenya.
The suspect is said to have used his legal credentials to assure the victim of the transaction’s legitimacy, allegedly drafting agreements and facilitating meetings meant to win the investor’s trust.
Sources close to the investigation revealed that the deal involved purported large quantities of gold bars, supposedly sourced from the Democratic Republic of Congo and stored in Nairobi.
The victim was allegedly persuaded to wire millions in instalments, with promises of delivery that never materialised.The arrest came after the Canadian national filed a complaint when repeated attempts to secure the shipment failed.
Detectives subsequently tracked the flow of funds, linking them to accounts controlled or accessed by the lawyer and his associates.Police have indicated that the suspect will face charges related to obtaining money by false pretences and conspiracy to defraud.
They are also pursuing several other individuals believed to be part of the syndicate, some of whom are suspected to have fled the country.
The DCI has warned foreign investors to exercise caution when engaging in high-value transactions in Kenya, especially in the gold trade, which has become a hotbed for sophisticated scams.The suspect is expected to be arraigned in court in the coming days as investigations continue.
Authorities have hinted at the possibility of more arrests, signalling that the case could widen to expose a deeper criminal network operating across borders.
This latest incident adds to a growing list of gold scam cases that have dented Kenya’s image in the international business community, raising calls for stricter oversight in the precious metals sector.
