Ex-Kenyan Minister Imprisoned in Uganda Over Gold Scam

Summary:

• Kenya’s former Assistant Minister for Internal Security, Stephen Kipkiyeny Tarus, is currently detained in Luzira Maximum Security Prison in Uganda until January 18. He is facing potential imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of USD 10,000 in connection with an alleged gold deal.

Kenya’s former Assistant Minister for Internal Security, Mr. Stephen Kipkiyeny Tarus, is currently held in Luzira Maximum Security Prison in Uganda until January 18. He faces potential imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of USD 10,000 in connection with an alleged gold deal. The charges against him stem from the falsification of Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) documents, specifically a violation of Section 203 (b) of the East African Community Customs Management Act, 2004.

The allegations are linked to a suspected gold scam ring, where Mr. Tarus is accused of creating a fraudulent receipt of USD 30,000 with URA logos. This receipt was purportedly given to an Indian businessman named Pravine, who was in Uganda to secure space for a medical equipment showroom. Pravine released the funds after Mr. Tarus informed him of 13 kilograms of gold awaiting clearance at URA, allegedly held there for four years. The fraudulent receipt was discovered when Pravine engaged URA officials, leading to Mr. Tarus’s arrest by URA’s investigation team.

Mr. Tarus, aged 57, who previously served as an assistant minister during President Mwai Kibaki’s era and as the High Commissioner to Australia from 2009 to 2012, is now facing charges of gold smuggling, scamming, and forgery of URA documents. Uganda is recognized as a regional hub for illicit gold smuggling, with reports indicating that smuggled gold from neighboring countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and Kenya, often finds its way into international markets through Uganda.

The Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime has highlighted Uganda’s vulnerability to illicit gold trade, citing fraudulent documentation and regional insecurity as facilitating factors. In a 2017 report, the United Nations Group of Experts identified Uganda as a major transit route for illicit gold destined for the United Arab Emirates.