MozzartBet’s Sh300 Million Money Laundering Scandal Blows Open as Court Papers Reveal Dark Secrets

MozzartBet, one of Kenya’s biggest betting firms, is once again at the center of a shocking financial scandal after fresh court documents revealed chilling details of how more than Sh300 million was allegedly laundered under the guise of paying for “software upgrades.”

What appeared to be a routine business transaction now reads like a script straight out of a crime thriller, with hidden accounts, ghost companies, and suspicious transfers painting a disturbing picture of deception and greed.

The revelations come after the Court of Appeal dismissed MozzartBet’s plea to recover the money seized by the state, ruling that the cash was the proceeds of crime.

The High Court had earlier ordered the forfeiture of the funds following an investigation by the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA), which uncovered a web of irregular transactions linking MozzartBet to shell companies and suspected money-laundering networks.

Court records show that MozzartBet moved staggering sums of money from its official M-Pesa paybill number to a little-known entity called Kimaco Connections, claiming it was payment for a betting software system.

The explanation collapsed in court when investigators established that Kimaco was nothing but a shell company with no staff, no office, and no tax history.

The company had been filing nil returns with the Kenya Revenue Authority, even as hundreds of millions of shillings flowed through its accounts.

The High Court, in a ruling delivered by Justice Esther Maina, revealed that the suspicious cash was spread across three accounts — Sh251 million at Diamond Trust Bank, Sh50 million at Co-operative Bank, and Sh2.4 million at NCBA.

The funds had been wired in massive daily transfers, sometimes as high as Sh50 million a day, raising red flags over the source and purpose of the money.

MozzartBet’s defense that it had already paid Sh256 million to acquire software from Kimaco Connections was torn apart when investigators discovered that Kimaco, in turn, had wired Sh242 million to another company, Open Skies Management Services, owned by Zimbabwean national Emmanuel Charumbira — a key shareholder in MozzartBet.

This circular movement of money between MozzartBet, Kimaco, and Charumbira’s firm formed the backbone of ARA’s case that the betting company was running an elaborate money-laundering operation disguised as business expenses.

In their ruling, the three-judge bench of the Court of Appeal described MozzartBet’s explanation as “incredible and evasive,” noting that the company failed to provide a single legitimate contract, invoice, or delivery record to support its claims.

The judges further found that MozzartBet’s directors and shareholders, including Branimir Melentijevic, Emmanuel Charumbira, and former MP Musa Sirma, personally benefited from the illicit transfers.

The ARA’s investigators traced an even larger pool of suspicious transactions totaling more than Sh640 million, allegedly moved between February and August of one year alone.

The funds reportedly flowed from MozzartBet to Kimaco, then through other smaller firms such as Pescom, before resurfacing in accounts controlled by MozzartBet insiders.

Investigators say this was a deliberate effort to conceal the source of the money and evade detection by banking surveillance systems.

Whistleblowers inside MozzartBet have now stepped forward, telling Kenya Insights that the company’s country manager Saša Krneta is deeply involved in the financial network accused of manipulating internal records to avoid tax scrutiny.

Some employees have privately alleged that the firm deliberately blocks Kenya Revenue Authority officers from conducting full audits, warning that the company’s digital systems could be hiding more than the courts have seen so far.

Despite its glossy image, sports sponsorships, and high-end marketing, MozzartBet’s reputation is crumbling under the weight of damning court rulings and a growing list of investigations.

The company’s efforts to withdraw earlier cases and distance itself from the allegations have only deepened suspicion that the rot runs deeper than previously thought.

As the legal dust settles, the question now lingers — how much more money was laundered through MozzartBet, and who in Kenya’s power circles is protecting it from full accountability?

Kenya Insights’ Investigative Desk is digging deeper into the web of corruption surrounding MozzartBet and its powerful allies.

More shocking revelations to follow…