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ARTUR BROTHERS SHOULD BE ARRESTED IF THEY COME BACK, SAYS REPORT
Story by MUGUMO MUNENE
The Nation, Kenya
Aug. 30, 2006
If the bogus Armenian brothers return to the country, they should be
arrested and prosecuted for causing a security breach at Kenya's main
airport, the Kiruki inquiry report suggests.
The list of offences they should be charged with includes assault,
creating disturbance in public, obstructing a customs officer on duty,
provoking members of the public by drawing guns and behaving in a
manner likely to cause a breach of peace.
Sources told the Nation yesterday that the commission believed that
there were other criminal offences that were possibly committed at
the Runda home of the Artur brothers.
These include robbery with violence, handling suspected stolen
property, possessing firearms without a certificate, forgery, holding
uncustomed goods, establishing radio communication without a licence
and fraudulent imitation of vehicle number plates.
According to government officials studying the document handed to
President Kibaki on Monday, the Kiruki commission also believed that
the brothers sought access to restricted areas in the airport to
enable them traffic in drugs.
The commission reportedly failed to unravel the identities of the
two brothers since they had been using stolen or fake travel documents.
The report falls in tandem with submissions by counsel assisting the
commission, Ms Dorcas Oduor, who said on the last day of the inquiry
that the brothers were international criminals who came to Kenya to
clean up illegal money.
According to investigations, Ms Oduor said, the Artur brothers engaged
only in cash transactions to disguise the suspect sources of their
money and to cloud possible investigations on their activities.
"We should not downplay the issues that have come out of the inquiry.
Tax evasion is a serious crime that is highly penalised in many
countries around the world. I can see a perfect case of money
laundering and the avoidance of Immigration laws. I can see a perfect
example of organised transnational crime," said Ms Oduor.
Money laundering - taking money from crime and making it look clean
by putting it through a process that disguises its illegal origin - is
regarded as a serious crime in many countries but not under Kenyan law.
According to sources familiar with the report, Mr Artur Sargsyan -
the shorter and paler of the two brothers, the one who always wore
sunglasses, was a drug dealer who arrived in Kenya to find a safe
haven for his business. They were involved with a number of companies,
which were found to have engaged in a number of criminal activities.
The Kiruki team reportedly stated that it was difficult to establish
the exact business the Arturs were conducting in Kenya since they
had no offices, no bank accounts and no evidence of investment.
During the inquiry, the brothers were described as dubious
international criminals, undesirable characters and their criminal
activities during their nine-month stay in Kenya were exposed.
A shadowy identity, stolen cars, fake numbers plates, fake passports,
fake police identities, illicit firearms and ammunition, forgeries,
fraud, "outlandish and arrogant behaviour" described the character
and lifestyle of the Armenians as disclosed throughout the inquiry.
At one time, they even masqueraded as royalty, claiming that they were
from the monarchy in Armenia, a country which has not been ruled by
a queen or king for 1,500 years.
In her submissions, Ms Oduor said: "They had infiltrated many places
including the police and our security institutions. We should all
condemn their activities."
However, the commission closed the public inquiry without taking
evidence from some business and social associates of the Artur brothers
and police officers who investigated them since March.
Police commissioner Hussein Ali who ordered the investigations in
March and suspended CID boss Joseph Kamau did not give evidence.
Neither did Nairobi CID boss Isaiah Osugo, detailed to investigate
the Arturs.
Story by MUGUMO MUNENE
The Nation, Kenya
Aug. 30, 2006
If the bogus Armenian brothers return to the country, they should be
arrested and prosecuted for causing a security breach at Kenya's main
airport, the Kiruki inquiry report suggests.
The list of offences they should be charged with includes assault,
creating disturbance in public, obstructing a customs officer on duty,
provoking members of the public by drawing guns and behaving in a
manner likely to cause a breach of peace.
Sources told the Nation yesterday that the commission believed that
there were other criminal offences that were possibly committed at
the Runda home of the Artur brothers.
These include robbery with violence, handling suspected stolen
property, possessing firearms without a certificate, forgery, holding
uncustomed goods, establishing radio communication without a licence
and fraudulent imitation of vehicle number plates.
According to government officials studying the document handed to
President Kibaki on Monday, the Kiruki commission also believed that
the brothers sought access to restricted areas in the airport to
enable them traffic in drugs.
The commission reportedly failed to unravel the identities of the
two brothers since they had been using stolen or fake travel documents.
The report falls in tandem with submissions by counsel assisting the
commission, Ms Dorcas Oduor, who said on the last day of the inquiry
that the brothers were international criminals who came to Kenya to
clean up illegal money.
According to investigations, Ms Oduor said, the Artur brothers engaged
only in cash transactions to disguise the suspect sources of their
money and to cloud possible investigations on their activities.
"We should not downplay the issues that have come out of the inquiry.
Tax evasion is a serious crime that is highly penalised in many
countries around the world. I can see a perfect case of money
laundering and the avoidance of Immigration laws. I can see a perfect
example of organised transnational crime," said Ms Oduor.
Money laundering - taking money from crime and making it look clean
by putting it through a process that disguises its illegal origin - is
regarded as a serious crime in many countries but not under Kenyan law.
According to sources familiar with the report, Mr Artur Sargsyan -
the shorter and paler of the two brothers, the one who always wore
sunglasses, was a drug dealer who arrived in Kenya to find a safe
haven for his business. They were involved with a number of companies,
which were found to have engaged in a number of criminal activities.
The Kiruki team reportedly stated that it was difficult to establish
the exact business the Arturs were conducting in Kenya since they
had no offices, no bank accounts and no evidence of investment.
During the inquiry, the brothers were described as dubious
international criminals, undesirable characters and their criminal
activities during their nine-month stay in Kenya were exposed.
A shadowy identity, stolen cars, fake numbers plates, fake passports,
fake police identities, illicit firearms and ammunition, forgeries,
fraud, "outlandish and arrogant behaviour" described the character
and lifestyle of the Armenians as disclosed throughout the inquiry.
At one time, they even masqueraded as royalty, claiming that they were
from the monarchy in Armenia, a country which has not been ruled by
a queen or king for 1,500 years.
In her submissions, Ms Oduor said: "They had infiltrated many places
including the police and our security institutions. We should all
condemn their activities."
However, the commission closed the public inquiry without taking
evidence from some business and social associates of the Artur brothers
and police officers who investigated them since March.
Police commissioner Hussein Ali who ordered the investigations in
March and suspended CID boss Joseph Kamau did not give evidence.
Neither did Nairobi CID boss Isaiah Osugo, detailed to investigate
the Arturs.