This archive report was first published on 1 July 2021.
Published on July 1, 2021, a Nairobi court granted police permission to detain Chinese national Deng Ziang Kai for five days to facilitate further investigations into money laundering allegations.
Senior Resident Magistrate Sinkiyian Tobiko approved the application, citing concerns that Kai's release could compromise the investigation and potentially allow him to interfere with the compilation of evidence.
According to an affidavit submitted by Police Constable George Otieno, Kai was arrested in Kileleshwa on June 30, 2021, following an intelligence report that implicated him in a multi-million shilling money laundering scheme.
The suspect is believed to be operating a company involved in cleaning liquid cash proceeds obtained from human and drug trafficking, as well as facilitating international traders to evade tax payments both locally and internationally.
During the arrest, police recovered several electronic devices, including laptops and mobile phones, which will undergo forensic examination to determine the nature of Kai's business operations in the country.
At the time of his arrest, Kai was found to be in possession of a Zambian passport and several Kenyan Identity cards belonging to other individuals, raising suspicions about his identity and potential connections to organized crime.
Police need time to collaborate with other government agencies, including immigration, Interpol, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Central Bank of Kenya, to gather evidence and apprehend potential accomplices.
