The US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has imposed heavy sanctions against 28 wealthy people, some of them including Kenyan tycoons.
The US alleges that these individuals and their businesses are linked to a network of gold smuggling and money laundering. The sanctions were enforced under Executive Order 13818 which targets people engaged in corruption and human rights abuses in the world.
The sanctions have frozen the accounts of all US linked assets for their operations. US government alleges that the network is controlled by Kamlesh Pattni, a man famously known for his affiliations in Kenya’s 1990 Goldenberg scandal.
Pattni has been linked to a web of bribery and fraudulent activities. As per Treasury, Pattni’s schemes have exploited Zimbabwe’s natural resources for personal gain, enriching corrupt officials and criminal actors while depriving the nation’s citizens of their rightful benefits.
Reports indicate that Pattni leveraged his relationships with Zimbabwean officials such as former President Robert Mugabe to get protection for his illegal dealings.
“Across the globe, when corrupt actors like Pattni exploit governance structures to benefit themselves and their cronies, communities suffer and public trust is eroded,” spoke Bradley T. Smith on behalf of the Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.
“Corruptions know no borders, and its effects are felt worldwide. The United States remains committed to holding such individuals accountable.”
Pattni’s network allegedly smuggled billions worth in gold and diamonds. They generated cash from sales abroad and manipulated returns to get additional funds. Proceeds of his activities were masked in a wide web of shell companies operating in various countries.
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Some of them include Sun Multinational DMCC located in UAE, Fiza Gold, Bullion Trading LLC and Golden Luxury Jewellery Trading LLC. Also listed in the network are Rubini Investment Group Limited in British Virgin Islands, Samaria Holdings Limited in UAE and Manurama Limited in Kenya.
The sanctions were implemented by the FBI in close association with foreign allies such as the UK on December 9th. Here is a list of some of the sanctioned individuals:
- Kamlesh Mansukhlal Damji Pattni – Nationalities: Kenya, United Kingdom
- Mishaal Hitesh Pattni – Nationality: Kenya
- Mukesh Mansukhlal Vaya – Nationality: Kenya
- Sanjay Keshavji Vaya – Nationality: Kenya
- Raj Vaya Sanjay (a.k.a. Skorus, Raj) – Nationality: Kenya
- Rahul Sood – Nationality: India
- Swetang Sinha – Nationality: India
- David Paul Crosby – Nationality: United Kingdom
- Dmytro Abakumov – Nationality: Ukraine
- Abdulqader Hasan Yahya Al-Murtadha (multiple aliases) – Nationality: Yemen
