A City businessman was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly trying to dupe a French national over Sh 12.8 billion by replacing money in containers with stones.
Edwin Ochieng was arraigned before a Kibera court where the court was told that he duped William Tuil millions of cash by lying to him that 17 containers with USD 89,000,000 in total were on their way to Rwanda from Qatar.
“That on diverse dates between July 22 2022 and August 26/2023 with others not before the court with intent to defraud conspired to steal USD 89,000,000 from William Tuil a french National purporting the he was in a position to transfer money from Gabon to Rwanda,” reads court papers.
However, shockingly when police arrested him at his office, they found 17 containers and when they opened, they found stones and gravel not money.
Police said that Ochieng approached the Tuil a French national and they entered into an agreement for sale of cotton in Qatar and upon sale he was supposed to ship the millions of dollars to Tuil.
It was also alleged that a total of 950 kg of cotton minerals was flown from Gabon to Qatar where it was sold for USD 89 million and Ochieng withdrew the money and packed them in boxes to be shipped to Tuil.
He was in constant communication with Tuil who was in the country waiting for the cash.
While Tuil was waiting for the money it never arrived and Ochieng told him that the consignment was detained at JKIA and they needed more cash to clear it.
Ochieng said he needed USD 48,500 for insurance, storage and hiring of a private jet to take the money to Rwanda which he was given.
Tuil then flew to Rwanda to wait for containers but they never arrived so he flew back to Kenya and upon arrival he was asked for further USD 500,000 which he was unable to raise.
That’s when Tuil knew he had been duped and went to report to the police.
Ochieng was arrested and escorted to his offices on Brokegroove house where upon search seventeen boxes alleged to contain money were found.
However, upon opening the boxes, they were found to be stuffed and filled with stones, gravel and pieces of tile.
Ochieng was arraigned in a Kibera court on Thursday through a miscellaneous application where police were seeking to detain him for seven days but the court declined to grant the order.
Instead, Senior Principal Magistrate Charles Mwaniki released him on a Sh 500,000 cash bail and directed him to be reporting at Kilimani police station daily for seven days.
