Haji, DCI in Dubai for dams, gold probe

A team of top security officials is expected in Dubai today in the ongoing investigations into the stalled Sh65 billion Arror and Kimwarer dams in Elgeyo Marakwet County.

The team is also planing a series of meetings with authorities in Dubai over the fake gold scams on the rise in Kenya.

Sources said Director of Public Prosecution Noordin Haji, Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti and officials from the State Law Office will be seeking mutual agreements on how to enhance the dams' probe.

Officials said the team had obtained evidence showing how part of money paid by Treasury for construction of the dams ended up in private accounts. Part of it would later be withdrawn in Nairobi.

For instance, Sh450 million was wired by the Treasury to Italian firm CMC di Ravenna, the projects' contractor, before it was sent to an account in London then Dubai and later to Nairobi.

Police say they visited the Nairobi bank where the money was cashed and obtained what they termed as 'crucial' evidence.

The team also expects to get information on a fake gold syndicate after it emerged that a member of the Dubai royal family had been swindled by conmen in Kenya.

The alleged swindlers posed as genuine suppliers of the precious mineral from the DRC.

The team has been in Italy since Wednesday they held a series of meetings.

They met officials of government-owned insurer, Service Assicurativi Del Comercio Estero, which was paid Sh11.1 billion as insurance premium for the Sh65 billion loan to build the two dams.

They reportedly argued that the country was paying interest on a loan little was known about.

“This was a government to government deal. However, it has now turned commercial. We cannot secure a loan and pay for the insurance of the same,” said an official who sought anonymity.