Two suspected gold scammers were arraigned in a Nairobi court on Tuesday, charged with extorting over Sh 52 million from a Swiss national by falsely promising to transport 700 kilograms of gold.
Julius Kirimi Muthuri and Richard Heineg Olaf appeared before Senior Principal Magistrate Robinson Ondieki and pleaded not guilty to the charge of obtaining money by false pretenses.
The prosecution alleges that, between November 2023 and March 2024, the two conspired to steal USD 163,490 from Roger Gahwiler by falsely claiming they could facilitate the transportation of 700 kilograms of gold and USD 30 million in cash from Kenya to Turkey.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Gahwiler’s troubles began after receiving information from his ailing father, who had previously worked in Ghana. His father informed him that around twenty years ago, he had acquired property in Ghana, which he later sold, leaving the proceeds in the custody of a trustee in Ghana.
“The victim fell into the hands of the two scammers after he was informed by his ailing father, who had worked in Ghana, that about twenty years ago, he acquired some property in Ghana which he later sold and left the proceeds under the custody of a trustee in Ghana,” the court records state.
Seeking to reclaim this asset, Gahwiler connected with a Ghanaian woman named Mamee Efua Esong, who had served as a translator during the original property transaction and arranged to meet her in 2020. This woman claimed familiarity with the father’s past dealings and informed Gahwiler that the proceeds from the property sale amounted to USD 62.8 million. She further claimed that a special purpose company was needed to facilitate the transfer of these funds.
Gahwiler was then deceived into establishing a company intended to transfer the money to his home country. However, he was coerced into paying various taxes and facilitation fees to scammers in Ghana, Dubai, Tanzania, Uganda, and eventually Kenya—all under the guise of moving his father’s assets to Switzerland.
While in Kenya, Gahwiler was introduced to Heineg, who later partnered with Kirimi in November 2023. Kirimi claimed to own Lawsam Security Company, which was allegedly contracted to transport and store the cargo, reportedly inspected and stored at a Nairobi airport. However, when Gahwiler was denied access to the containers, he was compelled to pay approximately USD 400,000 in facilitation fees to the scammers.
After exhausting his resources, Gahwiler realized he had been defrauded and lodged a complaint with the Kenyan Mission in Switzerland. The matter was subsequently referred to the DCI through the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, leading to an investigation and the eventual arrest of the suspects.
The two accused remain in custody pending a ruling on their bail and bond, which is expected to be issued on Friday this week.
