Switzerland joins hunt for Anglo Leasing loot

 

President Uhuru Kenyatta (R) with his deputy William Ruto at a past function. The Swiss government has asked Kenya for evidence to help nail some of the Anglo Leasing scandal suspects. PHOTO | DIANA NGILA | FILE 

In Summary

• The Swiss Attorney-General said the scam is believed to have roped in companies based in the European country, whose proceeds and assets may have been moved to Zurich.
• A probe into the scandal led to the assessment of financial transfers and the results of the comprehensive cash flow analysis of cross-border links.

By JOHN NJAGI
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The Swiss government has asked Kenya for evidence to help nail some of the Anglo Leasing scandal suspects.

 

Switzerland’s Attorney General’s office said they were investigating possible money laundering in relation to the Anglo Leasing deals.

Switzerland has formally requested for information as it closes down on three suspects of money laundering connected with the multi-billion shilling scandal.

The Swiss Attorney-General said the scam is believed to have roped in companies based in the European country, whose proceeds and assets may have been moved to Zurich.

“The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland, as part of its own criminal investigation into the Anglo Leasing case, requests support from the Kenyan judicial authorities to obtain evidence of a possible predicate offence to money laundering,” read the statement.

The AG’s office in Switzerland says accessing such information would set in motion criminal proceedings against the three suspects, which began in April 2009 following a report from the Money Laundering Reporting Office.

Since then, several bank accounts in Switzerland have been identified and frozen.

A probe into the scandal led to the assessment of financial transfers and the results of the comprehensive cash flow analysis of cross-border links.

This led investigators in Zurich to request mutual legal assistance from various states.

England, Scotland and Jersey are some of the countries that have provided information on money laundering revolving around the Anglo-Leasing related deals.

Authorities in Switzerland say they had been provided with “a considerable amount of useful information.”

“The Swiss AG is now requesting Kenya for active mutual legal assistance in order to obtain evidence of the predicate offence committed outside Switzerland,” reads the statement.