The High Court in Nairobi has allowed the government to seize and use Sh. 102 million belonging to Felista Nyamathira.
The money that was being held in two accounts at the Co-operative Bank had been sent to Nyamathira by her Belgian boyfriend as a gift.
However, the High Court ruled that the money was proceeds from money laundering.
In the judgment that was delivered by Justice Esther Maina, the High Court ruled that the 23-year-old Nyamathira and her boyfriend Marc de Masel had failed to explain how they had gotten the money.
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“I have analysed and gone through the evidence tendered by the boyfriend and it did not show the source of the funds that were transferred to the Kenyan girlfriend,” Justice Maina ruled.
Nyamathira was one of several girls that Marc had sent millions to. On 30th January 2023 for instance, the government of Kenya agreed to refund Sh. 113 million frozen in an Equity account belonging to Tebby Wambuku Kago.
The huge sum belonging to Ms. Wambuku had been frozen on December 11th, 2021.
Appearing before the Anti-Corruption Court, Assets Recovery Agency lawyer Mohammed Adow, filed a request to withdraw the suit against Ms. Wambuku.
He said that the evidence was insufficient to prove that the funds from her Belgian boyfriend were proceeds of illegal activities such as crime or money laundering.
“The investigations into the case found no sufficient evidence to sustain the forfeiture proceedings. We have consent from both parties to have the matter withdrawn,” Adow had told the court.
