Court Asked to Freeze Sh6.7M Linked to Mobile Phone Theft
The Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) has asked the High Court to freeze Sh6.7 million held in six bank accounts, which it believes are linked to a mobile phone theft and resale network.
The funds are held in accounts belonging to three individuals: Syllus Musila Kivyatu, Isaac Shamora Aligula, and Mourine Adhiambo. Investigators allege that the three are part of a wider criminal operation involved in the theft, refurbishment, and resale of mobile phones across Kenya and neighbouring countries.
According to the agency, the syndicate collects stolen phones from members of the public, refurbishes them at a repair shop along Jogoo Road in Nairobi, and resells them both locally and in countries such as Uganda and Tanzania. ARA says that the money in question represents proceeds of crime and forms part of a money laundering scheme intended to conceal the origin and movement of the funds.
Court documents indicate that Mr Musila holds the largest portion, with about Sh6 million distributed across accounts at Equity Bank and Co-operative Bank. Smaller amounts are held by Ms Adhiambo and Mr Aligula.
The agency has warned that without court intervention, there is a risk that the funds could be withdrawn or transferred, which would hinder efforts to recover them. In its filing, ARA says preliminary investigations show that the respondents carried out a scheme designed to disguise the nature and flow of the illicit funds.
