This archive report was first published on 19 July 2020.
On July 19, 2020, the High Court dismissed a plea by Mandera businessman Ali Abdi Ibrahim to unfreeze his bank accounts holding Sh43.5 million.
The court ruled that Ibrahim failed to show how his family was suffering despite his claims that accessing the money was crucial to sustain his family and businesses.
Justice John Onyiego stated that the money was subject to litigation, which if proved could be forfeited to the government, and releasing it would defeat the purpose of preservation orders.
Ibrahim's accounts were frozen in April after the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) flagged them, suspecting that he was laundering money.
Two of his accounts at Equity Bank, Mandera branch, received Sh124,750,000 from various companies under investigation, which were later withdrawn or transferred to other accounts.
Between 2014 and 2020, Ibrahim allegedly made suspicious cash withdrawals and transfers in split transactions to evade the reporting threshold.
According to an affidavit by investigator Fredrick Musyoki, the funds were suspected to be stolen and or fraudulently acquired from Mandera County government.
