ARA goes after 'Bishop's' car, house

The Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) has obtained orders compelling Jackson Mbugua alias Bishop to forfeit to the state a car, piece of land and building in Mathare for being proceeds of crime.

The orders were issued by Justice Diana Mochache of the Kibera High Court on February 29. Police claim that he is a popular evangelist within Nairobi commonly referred to as Bishop.

ARA was allowed to have rental income from the building deposited into their accounts.

The agency also got orders to take possession of the piece of land that the building sits on namely Plot No. 76B and No. 156B in Mathare North's commercial zone.

According to ARA, Mbugua got his riches from selling wildlife trophies and trafficking sandalwood alongside three others.

He was charged in 2019 together with David Ndiritu, Daniel Kibe and Jackson Luso at the Nanyuki Law Courts. They faced the count of dealing in wildlife trophies of an endangered species.

According to the charge sheet, the four men on October 6, 2019, within Oljogi conservancy in Laikipia County, were found dealing in elephant tusks without a permit.

The four tusks weighed approximately 69.2 kilogrammes with an estimated value of Sh7 million.

Mbugua had also been charged with illegal transportation of sandalwood on August 25, 2017, at the Nyahururu Magistrates Court.

According to Corporal Fredrick Muriuki, Mbugua after acquiring the tusks and sandalwood, would transport them across Kenya's borders to Uganda and Tanzania using the Mercedes Benz KBE 416Y.

Muriuki says Mbugua disguised the illegal business by posing as a charcoal trader adding that proceeds of the illicit trade were received by accused through his bank accounts.

The officer claims Mbugua had opened a dollar account and a Kenyan account at Equity Bank.

"Analysis of the accounts statements established that bank accounts were opened and operated by the respondent and that the bank accounts received suspicious huge sums of cash deposited from across the Kenyan borders in Uganda and Tanzania," said Corporal Muriuki.

He added that after receiving the money, Mbugua would then withdraw and transfer to his other bank accounts in Kenya on the same day or a few days later.

His analysis showed that between February and July 2017, Mbugua received USD 94,600 (Sh12.8 million at the current exchange rate), in his dollar account and that the deposits were done in both Uganda and Tanzania.

He alleges Mbugua withdrew USD 21,080 (Sh2.8 million) from Kenya and transferred a further USD 73,500 (Sh9.9 million) to a bank registered under Jackson Mbugua and George Mbugua.

According to the officer, Mbugua had equal deposits of USD 50,500 (Sh6.8 million) both made in Uganda and Tanzania which he later withdrew USD 9,080 (Sh1.2 million) in Malaba.

Muriuki alleges that from the amount, Mbugua withdrew USD 7,000 (Sh948,500) at Westside Mall, Nakuru County and USD 5,000 (Sh667,500) in Gikomba, Nairobi County.

Further, says the officer, Mbugua got Sh7.5 million in his Kenyan accounts during the same period, which was withdrawn on the same day in a suspicious act of money laundering.

According to his investigations, the money was sent to different individuals using the bank's mobile app and cash withdrawals amounting to Sh5.2 million were made at the Gikomba branch leaving Sh10,250 only in the account.

"My investigations further established the respondent subsequently acquired massive assets/properties using the proceeds from illegitimate trade in wildlife trophies (elephant tusks) and endangered wildlife species (sandalwood) and registered the same under his name," notes Muriuki.

ARA obtained orders prohibiting the sale or transfer of the said land and compelled the Chief Land Registrar or Nairobi County Lands Registrar to place a caveat on the land.

They got an order compelling the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) boss to place a caveat against the high-end car preventing its sale or transfer.

The case will be mentioned on May 27, 2024, before Justice Esther Maina, the presiding judge in the division.