The High Court has decided to forfeit over Ksh.13 million seized from businesswoman Nancy Kigunzu, also known as ‘Mathe wa Ngara’, to the state.
‘Mathe Wa Ngara’ was arrested on August 21, 2023, in connection with a drug bust in Nairobi’s Ngara area, during which large quantities of bhang and Ksh.13.4 million in cash were confiscated.
After a court ruling on August 25, 2023, the money was transferred to the Central Bank of Kenya. The court ruled that the money was the proceeds of crime.
The Assets Recovery Authority (ARA) later filed an application in court, claiming that there were reasonable grounds to believe that the money was obtained from a complex money laundering scheme and should be forfeited to the state.
In a judgement delivered by Justice Esther Maina, the Milimani Anti-Corruption court in Nairobi affirmed that the money was indeed proceeds of crime and therefore should be forfeited to the state.
“Having found that the money is proceeds of crime, I have no alternative but to forfeit it to the state (the Government of Kenya) as per the provided,” the court ruled.
“The only reasonable conclusion that this court can draw is that the money was kept in that manner to avoid detection by the authorities. The money falls within the definition of proceeds of crime,” the court noted.
Mathe wa Ngara presented herself to the police on August 21, and on December 20, 2023, she was released on Ksh. 1 million bail.
