Kenyan Authorities Clears Two American Airlines Of Money Laundering Allegations

By Ken Ngurachgi

Two top highly rated United States of America (USA) registered Private JET Airlines, Cullinan Private JETS Corp and Glo-JET International Air have been cleared by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) – Africa on Money Laundering probe after satisfactory verifiable documents were submitted by the airlines to The Law Enforcement Agencies.

On Wednesday, August 23, 2023, a transaction amounting to $ 50,000 (Fifty Thousand U.S Dollars) were wired from Cullinan JET Kenya Account at (I&M) to their sister Company – Global Jet International Air Account based at EcoBank Limited.

Due to strict Rules on Money Laundering Laws, I&M Bank Riverside Branch’s Relationship Manager – Ms. Reshma Patel questioned why funds were moving from one account to another – just a day after a substantive incoming TT Wire from an account of the U. S mother company (Cullinan Private JET USA) to the local Kenyan Company (Cullinan Private JET Kenya Limited) with an account resident at – I&M, Riverside Branch. She suspected that the same was possible money Laundering funds and therefore as required by the regulator of the banking sector in Kenya – Central Bank, Ms. Patel reported the matter to The Financial Reporting Centre (FRC) raising a concern over the $ 50,000 USD that was transferred from Cullinan Private JET I&M to Global JET Kenya Ecobank Accounts respectively. Cullinan and Global JET are companies with offices in the United States and Australia.

This prompted Asset Recover Agency (ARA) – a State Agency under Kenyan State Law Office to move to court on Friday, August 25, 2023, to obtain an immediate freeze order so as to commence their investigations, on the report submitted by Ms. Reshma Patel from I&M Bank Limited. The investigations have been on with Cullinan Private JET demanding that FBI from U. S be involved in the process since they never trusted the Kenyan investigative arm. They read malice in all the fiasco stating that the company handles Billions of U. S Dollars. They have been banking with the same bank ever since and wondering why they can raise an alarm, over a paltry $ 50,000.00

A Former FBI Agent – who is also aware of the probe, reiterated that Cullinan, being an American company cannot engage in such illicit trade and money laundering as alleged by I&M. The way the I&M Compliance report was drafted raises more questions than answers. “I suspect that I&M was annoyed that instead of keeping the funds with them, Cullinan Private JET moved the funds to a competitor bank – EcoBank. This is a case of a disgruntled wife not happy with a co-wife”, said Marco – who’s real name cannot be disclosed because he is not authorized by the agency to speak.

He Continued, “I don’t believe FRC, ARA and I&M. Something is truly a miss. Why would you freeze an account of an international company that controls Hundreds of Millions of Dollars in another Kenyan Bank (not I&M). When Cullinan decided to fund I&M from the U. S, and moves a small amount to EcoBank, that becomes a full-blown report with leading Media house writing a lot of filth and trash on a company that is in the league of Emirates. This is unacceptable. Cullinan JET should sue these guys. I mean look at this report from FRC.? This is an underwhelming orpington chicken fight. Not American at all. The FBI has now cleared the Company and gave them clean bill of health”, lamented Marco.

Document.

This news came as a relief to the Kenyan Charter Managing Director – Capt. Paul Stenberg since the International Board of Directors sitting in Sydney, Australia had resolved to shut down the Kenyan Operations and move the Regional Office for Africa to Johannesburg – South Africa.

“Look here Mr. Kuria. Media should report facts. We are a reputable Multi-Billion U. S Dollar Private JET Company with footprints in forty-seven (47) countries around the world. Our company is a member of the Meriton Group, yet another Fifty Year-(50)-Old Multi Billion U. S Dollar Real Estate Company located in Sydney, Australia. There is no way that our company can be involved in Money Laundering especially over a paltry $ 50,000 USD that is being reported by a section of the media here in Kenya. If anybody has doubt, e-mail me via: [email protected] ,” said Capt. Stenberg.

When asked about a Mr. Chris Obure, shareholding, he responded, “I also read, with utter shock, that one Kenyan Businessman – Mr. Chris Obure is an official representative of our companies in Kenya. This is false. The Registrar of companies (BRS) has the correct records at CR 12. Every Kenyan and the rest of the world can check for themselves the ownership of the companies. I don’t know this gentleman. He doesn’t work for this company. You are asking me to comment on a person that I don’t know. Out of my 213 employees here in East Africa, none goes by that name.”

Asked why certain journalists are mentioning Chris Obure as their main character in their recent articles, Mr. Stenberg responded, “That’s laughable. The story that appears on Nation and Business Daily, by one Richard Munguti, is disturbing. You see a lot of vendetta on this man – Chris Obure – who we have no association with. Mr. Munguti seems to have a personal grudge with Mr. Obure. He is now dragging Cullinan to that drama. All these moves make us doubt the writers professional IQ. He states horrendous things which are never associated with us. Has never been because we have a reputation to preserve. If doing business in Kenya is this hard, we’d rather close business and move to South Africa. That will knock down our worldwide continental spread to forty-six (46). Life will continue, nonetheless.”

Capt. Stenberg reported that Mr. Richard Munguti from Nation (Print Media) and other bloggers need to get their facts right. Not to engage in “theatrical razzmatazz and publishing scandalous demeaning underwhelming opaque articles. “How do you put a picture of a man standing with some Maybach glasses on and make him the boss of our company in Kenya? I mean, it’s a mockery. I can also bring Obama to stand at some market place in Kogelo, Siaya county and make him the area chief”, laughed Capt. Stenberg.

Cullinan Private JET Corp is now free to operate and continue doing business in Kenya. According to information from their website, the company is in the business of provision of highly VVIP Private Charter HIRE around the world. They handle both cargo and passenger charters globally. From our due diligence, Cullinan Private JET Corp is the only company in Africa that conducts thorough forensic verification on cargo shipments before issuing quotation. They have a Risk and Compliance (RC) Form 401 [a] that is always handed over to the customers to fill out so that they can take the same to Customs Department to verify the authenticity of bonded merchandise. The company also affirms and asserts that they don’t handle Cargo Clearance, export processing and the cargo. Their only encounter with the is after the goods are properly scanned by the owners to pave way for loading, once all the Export Documents have been submitted by the Customer to the Risk and Compliance Desk – at the loading BAY.