The High Court has made a ruling that over Ksh.13 million seized from businesswoman Nancy Kigunzu, also known as ‘Mathe wa Ngara’, will be forfeited to the state.
‘Mathe Wa Ngara’ was apprehended 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.
Following a court decision 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, asserting that there were reasonable grounds to believe that the money was derived from a complex money laundering scheme and should thus 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 declared.
“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.
