Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have apprehended three individuals accused of orchestrating a gold scam that defrauded two foreign nationals of over Sh340 million.
The scam, which began in June 2022, involved Marco Colombo Conti, a businessman, and his associate Satbinder Singh, who traveled to Kenya to purchase 100 kilograms of gold from a suspect named Allain Mwadia Nvita.
Conti initially paid around $400,000 in duties and other charges through the law firm Squire AfriLaw Consult Limited.
In return, he was given 12 kilograms of gold, with the agreement that he would carry it as hand luggage to recover his costs and cover additional fees.
However, just before Conti’s departure, Nvita informed him that the 12 kilograms of gold was part of a larger 112-kilogram shipment and advised him to store it in a safe deposit box at Mysafe Vaults in Nairobi’s Village Market, which Conti agreed to.
Believing the transaction was legitimate, Conti returned to Kenya on February 5, 2024, with Singh.
They met with Nvita, who posed as the gold seller, and were introduced to two additional suspects, Lehman John Raymond and Daniel Ogot of Patvad Trading Co. Ltd, along with Tanzanian agent Frank Kateti.
Nvita convinced them that he would provide 31 kilograms of gold, which would cover the amount Conti had paid and the costs of shipping the full 112-kilogram consignment.
Ogot issued an invoice for 711,070 Euros to Singh’s company, Asianic Limited, instructing payment into an escrow account managed by Mosota Abunga & Associates Advocates, LLP at Stanbic Bank.
A subsequent invoice for 14,112 Euros for freight charges was also issued.
All payments were made on February 8, 2024, after Kateti assured them everything was in order and the 31 kilograms of gold were deposited into Mysafe Vaults.
On February 9, the gold was collected and packed, but as the foreigners were about to head to the airport, Ogot and Kateti failed to deliver the gold and necessary documents.
The foreigners left without the consignment.
While in Italy, Ogot informed the clients that a weight declaration error had led to the consignment being seized by customs, and claimed a fine of $1,562,000 was required to release it.
Singh, hoping to recover the gold, paid 1,438,460 Euros into the escrow account.
The suspects then took Singh to Forodha House at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), where a woman named Susan Oketch, posing as a customs official, provided fake documents and confirmed the fine.
Singh returned to the UK on March 20, 2024, but continued to receive fake airway bills indicating a delivery scheduled in Ireland.
Suspicious, Singh contacted the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), which found the documents to be forged and the supposed customs officials were not KRA employees.
Further investigation revealed that Patvad Trading Ltd was not authorized by the Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy, and Maritime Affairs to trade in minerals, and the airway bills were fraudulent.
The total amount defrauded was determined to be 2,168,258.91 Euros, equivalent to Sh341,949,292.
The DCI has charged the suspects with fraud and referred the case to the Public Prosecutor, including issues related to the law firm’s involvement in managing the escrow account.
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