This archive report was first published on 13 July 2021.
On July 13, 2021, a court case in Milimani Law Courts revealed that Bernhard Ten Brinke, an international rally driver, had lost Sh170 million to Nairobi conmen in a gold deal gone sour.
The gold, estimated to be worth Sh171 million, was supposed to be sold to Brinke's representatives, who used at least Ksh20 million to charter a private plane to transport the consignment.
However, the Kenyans failed to meet their end of the deal, leading Brinke to claim that Global Freight Management Limited had failed to deliver the first gold shipment as agreed in the sale and purchase agreement.
Brinke further alleged that the defendants were acting in concert and in a well-coordinated enterprise to defraud him of his hard-earned monies in the sum of USD 1,589,760 (Ksh171.34 million) in the pretext of a transaction for sale and purchase of gold.
The money was reportedly received by a local law firm, which was investigated by the Assets and Recovery Agency after the transactions raised red flags.
High Court judge Daniel Ogembo authorized the ARA to freeze six bank accounts that received Sh53.9 million in April.
