Another Student Receives Ksh108 Million From Bitcoin Billionaire

A 21-year-old Nairobi Technical Institute student, Tebby Wambui Kago, has been roped into court battles after it was discovered she received millions from Marc De Mesel, a crptocurrency dealer.

In the refreshed battle, High Court judge Esther Maina ordered the freezing of two accounts held by Ms Kago at Equity Bank, holding a total of Ksh108.2 million. One of the account is a dollar account, holding $631,071 (Ksh71.2 million) while the other holds Ksh37 million in Kenyan denominations.

Mr Mesel hit the headlines last month after it emerged that he sent her girlfriend, Ms Felesta Nyamathira Njoroge, over $914,967 (Ksh102 million), that was frozen last month.

A further Ksh5 million at Stanbic Bank belonging to Ms Njoroge has also been frozen by the court, even as investigations continue to ascertain the source of the money.

In his declaration, Mr Mesel said that Ms Njoroge was “free to use the money to secure financial security for our future children”.

The money (total of Ksh210 million) was sent to the two in eight batches in a period of two weeks, something that raised eyebrows of the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA).

“The pattern of transaction in the accounts in issue and the activities of one De Mesel Marc and the Respondents depicts money laundering activities and this Honourable Court ought to issue the orders sought,” said ARA.

Between August 6 and 10, 2021, Mr Mesel wired $909,900 to Ms Kago’s dollar account, before she later distributed $278,799 to several accounts in September.

“A preliminary analysis of the bank statement for account number (account number withheld) held at Equity Bank Limited in the name of the 1st Respondent has established that the account received a cumulative sum of KES 37,000,000 in one single suspicious transaction in the month of November 2021,” the ARA said.

“There are reasonable grounds to suspęct that the funds held in the above accounts are proceeds of crime acquired through illicit and money laundering scheme designed to conceal, disguise the nature, source location and movement of the funds.”

The Belgian wired $229,980 on August 4 to Ms Njoroge, followed by $231,980 the following day. On August 6, he wired the money twice, $224,980 and $227,980.

Ms Njoroge has defended hersef, terming the applications by ARA as speculative.

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