A Kenyan man Abdulrahman Imraan Juma who is wanted in the USA over claims of money laundering will remain in custody pending the determination of his extradition proceedings.
Nairobi chief magistrate Wendy Kagendo ruled that Abdulrahman Imraan Juma will remain in custody until the case by Director of Public Prosecution Noordin Haji, seeking to extradite him to the USA, is determined.
Mr Juma is wanted over claims of money laundering and is alleged to be part of an international gang that conspires to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft by targeting unsuspecting businessmen who need loans.
Mr Juma faces up to 61 counts of money laundering, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
The court ruled on Tuesday that the prosecution had tabled compelling reasons to deny the suspect bond.
“The offence the suspect is facing is serious which needs an extradition application to be dealt with first before making other orders,” said the magistrate.
The suspect had pleaded to be freed on bond saying he will abide by the conditions imposed by the court. The DPP, however, said he was a flight risk.
Mr Juma and his accomplices target businessmen based in the US and Qatar and hoodwink them that they could offer loans worth millions of shillings.
Additionally, Mr Juma is said to have worked with Nigerian influencer Ramon Abbas – also known as Hushpuppi – to defraud a Qatari school founder.
According to court documents, Juma, Abbas and a third defendant faked the financing of a school by posing as bank officials and creating a fake website to convince the businessman to part with his money.
The Anti-graft Multi-agency task force efforts to fight against corruption and economic crimes is evident in the recent prosecutions and their collaborations to bring to book the culprits. Money laundering puts the country in a bad book with other countries and threatens the diplomatic relations these countries have.
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