Ugandan authorities are holding Kenya’s ex-Assistant Minister on allegations of smuggling 13 kilos of gold into the country using forged documents.
The former minister was arraigned before an anti-corruption court on Wednesday where the bench directed his remand at Luzira Prison until January 18, pending investigations into his alleged offences.
Ugandan police are also investigating whether the former minister might be part of a larger gold smuggling ring operating in Kampala.
About kilos of gold are worth $845,821 according to calculateme.com.
He is expected to answer charges of gold smuggling, fraud and forgery of Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) documents, including a receipt claiming to have paid $30,000 in Kampala for the movement of the gold.
He served as an assistant minister under the late President Mwai Kibaki and as Kenya’s ambassador.
He was also a Member of Parliament between 2003 and 2007.
According to reports by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime, Uganda is a regional hub for illicit gold smuggled from neighbouring countries, mainly the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and South Sudan and smaller flows from Kenya.
Source: The Star