News
Detectives Nab Brazilian Sugar Fraud Mastermind
A major breakthrough in a high-profile fraud case unfolded today as Abdirizak Kassim Bare, a 46-year-old suspected mastermind behind a Brazilian sugar importation scam, was arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts.
The arrest marks a significant victory for the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), which has been relentlessly pursuing a criminal syndicate responsible for swindling four businesspersons out of over Sh 100 million.
According to a statement from the DCI, the elaborate fraud scheme took place between May and October 2023.
The victims, lured by the promise of importing 15,000 bags of sugar from Brazil, transferred substantial sums totaling more than Sh 100 million into five different bank accounts controlled by the fraud ring.
However, after the payments were made, the supposed deal evaporated, leaving the businesspersons in financial ruin as the perpetrators disappeared without delivering the promised goods.
What ensued was months of frustration for the victims, who described their efforts to track down the fraudsters as a “wild goose chase.” Broke and desperate, they turned to the DCI for help.
The agency’s Operation Support Unit launched a meticulous investigation, unraveling the syndicate’s operations and gathering evidence that was later presented to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP).
The ODPP reviewed the findings and recommended the arrest and prosecution of the suspects, charging them with eight counts, including obtaining money by false pretenses—an offense under Section 313 of the Penal Code.
Armed with arrest warrants, DCI officers moved swiftly, apprehending Kassim Bare in an early morning operation today.
During his arraignment, Kassim Bare pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The court granted him a Sh 3 million bond with an alternative cash bail of Sh 500,000, pending further proceedings.
Authorities have vowed to continue their manhunt for the remaining members of the syndicate, signaling that this arrest is just the beginning of their efforts to dismantle the criminal network.
Kenya Insights allows guest blogging, if you want to be published on Kenya’s most authoritative and accurate blog, have an expose, news TIPS, story angles, human interest stories, drop us an email on [email protected] or via Telegram
Who Architected the Ksh 4.8 Billion Fuel Scandal? Two CSs Now Caught in the Storm
THE ZAKHEM-ECOBANK MACHINE: How Kenya’s Courts Were Weaponised to Drain a State Corporation of Over KES 78 Billion
Poison at the Pump: How Kenya’s Fuel Marking System May Be Exposing Millions to Cancer-Causing Chemicals
Inside Nyayo House: The Kitchen Cartel That Demands Sh100,000 for a Stove
JSC Rot: “Why I Paid Over Sh4 Million for a High Court Slot” — Explosive Claims by ‘Incoming Judge’
Fly 748 Is Back And Flies You To Mombasa From Just Sh6,500
KRA Introduces WhatsApp Tax Filing and How It Works
Trump Says Iran War Almost Over, Warns Of Weeks More Heavy Strikes
Sold And Abandoned: How Diageo and Asahi Are Locking Kenya’s EABL Minority Shareholders Out Of East Africa’s Biggest Corporate Heist
Treasury Hands Sh358M Brief to Eric Gumbo’s Firm While Bypassing Standard Rules — and the Lawyer Is Already Deep Inside Ruto’s State Machine
Tuju Forcefully Removed From His Karen Property With Masked Officers In Unmarked Vehicles In Early Morning Raid
How Little-Known Pesa Print, Linked to State House Tycoons, Won NTSA Tender Worth Sh42 Billion in Traffic Fines
Named: Havi Says Mutava Confessed He Was Collecting The Bribe For Lady Justice Josephine Mongare, So Why Is JSC Still Silence?
The Man With The Golden Pen: How NLC’s Joel Ombati Is Accused Of Masterminding Kenya’s Biggest Infrastructure Land Heist
‘They Will Eat You Alive’: Retired Teacher Warns Against Bashy African Credit as Sh500,000 Loan Spirals Into Sh1.5 Million Fight
THE HANDSHAKE THAT BECAME A NOOSE: How Tuju’s Alleged Intimate Access to EADB’s Yeda Apopo Produced a Sh294 Million Deal With No Written Contract, and Why That Trust Destroyed an Empire
Waweru’s Bank Pockets Sh1.16 Billion from KPC IPO While Ordinary Kenyans Fled the Sale
Forged Legacy: How Kaplan and Stratton’s Peter Gachuhi Is Accused of Faking a Top AG’s Will as State Claims Damning Evidence
Men Linked to Akasha Drug Dynasty Charged With Death Threats and Assault at Nairobi Nightclub
The New Master of the Nation: How a Tanzanian Billionaire With a President in His Pocket Just Bought Kenya’s Most Powerful Press
-
Business1 week agoTHE HANDSHAKE THAT BECAME A NOOSE: How Tuju’s Alleged Intimate Access to EADB’s Yeda Apopo Produced a Sh294 Million Deal With No Written Contract, and Why That Trust Destroyed an Empire
-
Investigations6 days agoForged Legacy: How Kaplan and Stratton’s Peter Gachuhi Is Accused of Faking a Top AG’s Will as State Claims Damning Evidence
-
News1 week agoMen Linked to Akasha Drug Dynasty Charged With Death Threats and Assault at Nairobi Nightclub
-
News1 week agoCity Lawyer Kimani Wachira Caught Up In Bribery Web Fights Claims
-
Business6 days agoHow Firm Linked To Mombasa Tycoon Jaffer Was Allowed To Import Fuel At Bloated Price And Set To Make Billions In Profits From Iranian War Crisis In Kenya
-
News5 days agoTreasury Hands Sh358M Brief to Eric Gumbo’s Firm While Bypassing Standard Rules — and the Lawyer Is Already Deep Inside Ruto’s State Machine
-
Business5 days agoSold And Abandoned: How Diageo and Asahi Are Locking Kenya’s EABL Minority Shareholders Out Of East Africa’s Biggest Corporate Heist
-
Business6 days agoTHE BANK THAT BROKE THE TRUCKER: How NCBA’s Asset Financing Empire Is on Trial Before London’s Most Feared Arbitral Tribunal