Foreigners jailed over Sh110bn fake currency ring

Two foreigners were Thursday sentenced to 10 years in jail for being part of a transnational fake currency ring.

Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi found Mohammed Sani, alias Dr Mustafa, from Niger, and Ousman Ibrahim Bako, a Cameroonian, guilty of having items used to making fake currency amounting to Sh110 billion. In addition, they were jailed for additional six months for being in the country illegally.

“I am convinced that the prosecution has proved its cases against the accused persons beyond any reasonable doubt,” the magistrate said.

The two were arrested in 2016 at Nairobi’s Diamond Park II, where police found fake currency notes and money printing machines, cutters, scanners, five safes, two computers, chemicals, masks and foil paper.

They were also charged with obtaining money by false pretences, intending to defraud De La Rue of Sh26billion. They have been in police custody since their arrest.

The court was told that a complaint by a businessman, Mr Omar Hussein, led to their arrest after they conned him of more than Sh40 million.

The businessman fell into the accused's trap because he easily trusted them as fellow Muslims. They allegedly told him that they had "goods" in a container from Syria.

He held several meetings with them, during which they asked him for cash to facilitate the re-lease of the goods, promising to give him 50 per cent.

During the trial, a US secret service agent, Chris Goode, told the court that the currency seized during the duo's arrest was identified as fake through serial numbers.

He said although not all of the money notes were checked, those that were checked by the US criminal investigators and were found to be fake.