The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has revealed details of suspects arrested after being implicated in a complex diplomatic fraud scheme that targeted the U.S Embassy in Nairobi.
DCI in a statement on November 14 said that the three suspects, including a senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), have been implicated in the fraud scheme.
The three, identified as the Deputy Chief of Protocol at the Ministry, a clerk and a civilian accomplice, were arraigned at the Kibera Court on Thursday after a thorough investigation by the detectives.
“Following the conclusion of an inquiry into allegations of forgery and conspiracy to commit a felony implicating the Deputy Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and two others, and the subsequent approval for their prosecution by the Director of Public Prosecution, the three have today been arraigned at the Kibera Court,” the statement reads.
The Directorate in the report revealed that the case stems from a year-long inquiry initiated in March 2023, following the discovery of multiple falsified diplomatic notes linked to MFA.
These forged documents were used to facilitate visa applications for 19 individuals, claiming they were government employees, when in fact, only six of them were legitimate.
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DCI unraveled that the individuals were purported to be from different Kenyan government departments, including the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), MFA, and the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure.
DCI uncovers fraud scheme at U.S Embassy
While only six applicants were real government employees, the other 13 were fabricated, and their visa applications were processed for financial gain.
“In the elaborate scheme, only six (6) out of the 19 individuals listed for consideration for U.S. visas and subsequent travel to Washington DC, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, were legitimate employees of the GoK,” sad DCI in a statement.
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Each non-government individual was reportedly made to channel up to Ksh600,000 into the bank account of the third accomplice.
According to DCI, the forged documents were presented to the U.S Embassy’s Consular Section by the clerk at the Immigration Protocol Office.
Upon review, the U.S Embassy raised suspicions about the authenticity of the documents and flagged the case for investigation.
This led to a collaborative effort between the Embassy and Kenyan authorities, uncovering a web of deceit orchestrated by the three suspects.
The DCI, after conducting a forensic investigation and verifying the authenticity of the documents, confirmed the fraudulent activity.
The passports involved were further confiscated, and charges were preferred accordingly.
The three accused individuals were granted cash bail of Ksh50,000 each during their arraignment at Kibera Court, marking the beginning of legal proceedings.
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