This archive report was first published on 17 December 2019.
On December 17, 2019, a businesswoman accused of dealing in narcotic drugs appeared before the High Court to plead for the unfreezing of her accounts and the release of her three vehicles.
Ms Rose Musanda, the accused, told Justice John Onyiego that the three 33-seater matatus were acquired on loans at Sidian and Equity banks and had no connection with the alleged illegal trade in narcotic drugs.
She claimed that one of the accounts frozen contained Sh1.7 million, which was being used to service the loans, and that she faced the risk of her vehicles being repossessed.
The accounts were frozen in October after Ms Musanda and two other women were charged with trading in narcotic drugs at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
They denied the charges and were released on bond. The court also directed them to surrender the three minibuses, which ply the Nairobi-Uthiru route, and the logbooks to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
Assets Recovery Agency told the court that they had commenced investigations to recover the properties, which were believed to be proceeds of crime.
The agency's representative, Mohamed Adow, stated that there was evidence that Ms Musanda was trading in narcotic drugs and that suspicious deposits were made into the accounts before she acquired the vehicles.
However, Ms Musanda countered that she bought her first vehicle after selling a plot in Kitale and her savings from selling second-hand clothes. She added that some of the vehicles did not belong to her but she was managing them on behalf of some people.
A total of 796.66 grammes of heroin were allegedly recovered from her Kinoo house.
Justice Onyiego will rule on the matter on February 13.
