This archive report was first published on 6 October 2021.
On October 3, 2021, the Pandora Papers leak sent shockwaves globally, revealing the extent to which the wealthy class hides assets in foreign jurisdictions with low taxes and high privacy.
The leak is not the first time a Kenyan billionaire's offshore accounts have brought bad publicity. In the early 2000s, former Kenya Power Company boss Samuel Gichuru sought divorce from his wife, Salome Njeri, citing lack of emotional support.
During the divorce proceedings, Njeri claimed she had been shortchanged as some of Gichuru's assets were hidden offshore. She sought an equal share of the marital property, including a Ksh1.1 billion (10 million USD) account in St. Helier on Jersey in the British Channel Island's.
Gichuru successfully challenged Njeri's claims, but the British Intelligence used the court proceedings to investigate him. A court in the UK issued a warrant of arrest against Gichuru, alleging that he would receive hard-money bribery and stash it into off-shore accounts.
The authorities in Jersey then issued a warrant of arrest on Gichuru, with his Jersey account ordered to be seized when officials in the company that remitted funds in his account pleaded guilty to four counts of money laundering before Royal Court in 2016.
Interpol petitioned Kenyan authorities to arrest Gichuru and former Cabinet Minister Chris Okemo and extradite them to the UK for their case to be heard. The matter is yet to be resolved in Kenyan courts.
