Somali Businessman in Court Over Sh8.5 Million Spaghetti Scam

A Somali businessman has been charged in a Nairobi court over an alleged Sh8.5 million fraud scheme involving a fictitious spaghetti import deal.

Mohammed Khalif Hassan appeared before Senior Principal Magistrate Robinson Ondieki at the Milimani Law Courts where he denied defrauding Osman Mohamed Ali of Ksh 8,512,700 under the pretense of facilitating an international spaghetti import transaction.

According to the charge sheet, the alleged fraud took place between February 18, 2023, and May 21, 2024, at an undisclosed location within Kenya. Prosecutors claim Hassan tricked Ali into sending the money by falsely claiming he had the capacity to import large consignments of spaghetti, a promise they say he knew was untrue.

The court heard that despite receiving the funds, no goods were ever delivered, and repeated attempts by the complainant to recover the money failed, prompting legal action.

Hassan was released on a cash bail of Ksh 700,000 or an alternative bond of Ksh 2 million with two sureties of a similar amount. The case will be mentioned at a later date as investigations continue.

The matter has drawn public attention due to the unusual nature of the alleged scam, coming at a time when Kenya is battling a rise in white-collar crimes involving cross-border trade frauds.