Former MP Tells Court of His Novel Ways of Making Millions of Cash
February 13, 2011 by Muli wa Kyendo
Filed under Business Blog
A Nairobi court heard how a former Gatundu North Member of Parliament (MP) lost Sh2.1million to fraudsters. The fraudsters had promised to print for him Kenya currency notes worth Sh30 million.
The former MP, Mr. Patrick Muiruri, who is a private investigator, agreed that four months to the 2007 General Election he was swindled by fraudsters who claimed to work for the money-printing company, De La Rue, and therefore knew how to print money.
Muiruri had apparently been outsmarted by conmen whom he gave money directly, through his wife, and personal assistant.
He told the court he only realized he had been cheated when the people, introduced to him by his niece, failed to deliver the ‘millions’.
Muiruri, then agriculture assistant minister, said the men claimed they could print for him photographic paper money, which could be ‘cleaned’ into real currency. During their meeting at a five-star hotel, Muiruri was asked to raise Sh700, 000, for the deal.
“On June 21, 2007, I sent my Personal Assistant Kinuthia and withdrew Sh400,000 from my personal account at Co-operative Bank, Parliament Branch,” he said. “At 7pm Christopher (one of the conmen) came to Parliament, my PA brought the money to the members’ lounge and I gave him the money in front of my PA.”
Muiruri told the court how the man asked him to raise Sh2.1 million for ‘chemicals’ and equipment to treat the money and transform it into acceptable currency.
Briefcase Full of Money
The following day, Christopher took a briefcase containing the money, and Muiruri’s wife gave additional Sh300,000 for the fraudsters. “I was with my wife when I handed over the money to him. He promised to come back on June 29, 2007, with the chemical and the equipment to clean the money, but he did not show up.”
Muiruri says he reported the matter to the police after the conmen failed to deliver the “money” as promised. “These people were conmen. They were arrested and charged. That case is still going on. It is a matter in a different court.”
He restated to the court: “I am saying that the total amount I lost was Sh2.1million. I paid to have Sh30 million.”
Mr. Muiruri is a witness in an election petition case
