BY SAM ALFAN.
The Assets Recovery Agency has obtained orders to seize two motor vehicles belonging to suspected drug dealer Joyce Akinyi.
Justice Mumbi Ngugi ordered Akinyi to surrender two Toyotas to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Kimabu Road within seven days. The woman was also asked to give the vehicles logbooks, following the application by ARA.
The judge further directed the Director General of the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to register a caveat against the records of each vehicle.
The Agency sought to preserve the funds and assets of the respondent on suspicion of being proceeds of crime, pending the hearing of a petition for forfeiture to the state.
“There is imminent danger that the respondent shall dispose, dissipate or transfer the said assets as there was no court order currently preserving the said assets,” said the Agency.
ARA commenced investigations to recover proceeds of crime accrued by Akinyi on illegitimate trafficking and trading in narcotic drugs after she was arrested and charged with drug trafficking.
She and two others were charged at a Jomo Kenyatta International Airport court on July 15, 2019 after a search was conducted at her residence at Deep West Resort Bar in Nairobi West. The police recovered some 1,050 grams of heroin with a street value of Sh3.09 million.
The court heard that on January 20, 2020, the Agency received information that the respondent acquired assets/properties using proceeds obtained from the drug trade hence are proceeds of crime.
“Unless this honourable court grants the orders sought, the economic advantage derived from the commission of crimes will continue to benefit a few to the disadvantage of the general public interest,” ARA submitted.
It is alleged that during investigations looked into the activities of Akinyi’s two bank accounts held at Stanbic bank to ascertain whether the funds they held were indeed proceeds of crime.
According to ARA, both accounts received suspicious huge sums of cash and cheque deposits that indicate activities of money laundering.
Investigations further established that the deposits were made in tranches below one million shillings to evade the reporting threshold as per the Central Bank of Kenya prudential guidelines for an account holder to declare the source of the money.
During her arrest on July 13, 2019 at the resort, more items were seized including an East African passport in the name of Ochieng Joyce Akinyi, one Kenyan passport in the name of Jackline Glory Achieng, three Congolese passports in the names of Kambere Raha Eveline, Kambura Mape Marline and Musanrishay kalala Paulin, Tanita digital scale and a total cash coin in Uganda Shillings of Sh 20,000.
In addition, the Agency said that the government chemist revealed that the heroin was at 20% purity.
