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KIBAKI 'NOT LINKED TO CRIMINALS'
News24, South Africa
Dec 8 2006
Nairobi - Kenya's usually mild-mannered President Mwai Kibaki has
furiously denied family links with two flamboyant Armenian brothers
deported last week for roughing up customs officers at Nairobi airport.
The president also promised an investigation into the activities in
Kenya of brothers Artur Margariyan and Arthur Sargsian, who had been
accused of receiving official protection for shady dealings in the
east Africa nation.
The saga of the Armenians had gripped Kenya for months.
Terming claims of family links "blatant lies", Kibaki demanded an
apology and threatened to sue the media for a report linking the
Armenian pair to a woman said by some local media to be the president's
second wife.
Media house raided
But, Kibaki's statement - a rare flash of anger for the mild-mannered
74-year-old president - did little to quell growing demands from
Kenyans for a proper probe into allegations of links between the
Armenians and powerful politicians.
The two burst into the national limelight in March after an opposition
politician accused them of being "mercenaries" used by the government
to provide muscle for a raid on Kenya's second biggest media house,
an act widely condemned around the world.
The brothers denied that, saying they were respectable businessmen
wanting to invest in Kenya.
Brothers 'became celebrities'
But, they had become virtual celebrities in recent months, seldom out
of cartoons and gossip columns, and leading a swaggering lifestyle
that included parties, luxury cars, flashy jewellery and trademark
sunglasses.
The saga took a fresh twist with their deportation on Friday after
a scuffle at the airport.
But, a broad spectrum of Kenyan politicians, civil activists and media
complained they should have been kept here, and interrogated over
their alleged high-level connections and mysterious business dealings.
Two lesser-known brothers deported
Kibaki said: "I have only one family, which consists of the first
lady Lucy Kibaki, daughter Judy Kibaki, Sons Jimmy, David, Tony and
their wives and children.
"No member of my family has had any dealings with the said
foreigners...I am, therefore, demanding that the newspaper should
apologise to me and my family for the blatant lies."
Two lesser-known brothers were also deported. Kibaki added: "The
matter of their stay and transactions in Kenya is the subject of
investigations."
Fuelling concern at what they were doing, police said guns, machetes
and bulletproof vests were recovered at the Armenians' luxury home
in Nairobi after they were deported.
It was reported that the government's handling of the saga was
"shameful".
The reports said: "Besides seeking explanations as to why the two
brothers were quickly spirited out of the country, the public demands
to be told how government vehicles got their way into the Runda
residence of the Artur brothers," it said in an editorial.
News24, South Africa
Dec 8 2006
Nairobi - Kenya's usually mild-mannered President Mwai Kibaki has
furiously denied family links with two flamboyant Armenian brothers
deported last week for roughing up customs officers at Nairobi airport.
The president also promised an investigation into the activities in
Kenya of brothers Artur Margariyan and Arthur Sargsian, who had been
accused of receiving official protection for shady dealings in the
east Africa nation.
The saga of the Armenians had gripped Kenya for months.
Terming claims of family links "blatant lies", Kibaki demanded an
apology and threatened to sue the media for a report linking the
Armenian pair to a woman said by some local media to be the president's
second wife.
Media house raided
But, Kibaki's statement - a rare flash of anger for the mild-mannered
74-year-old president - did little to quell growing demands from
Kenyans for a proper probe into allegations of links between the
Armenians and powerful politicians.
The two burst into the national limelight in March after an opposition
politician accused them of being "mercenaries" used by the government
to provide muscle for a raid on Kenya's second biggest media house,
an act widely condemned around the world.
The brothers denied that, saying they were respectable businessmen
wanting to invest in Kenya.
Brothers 'became celebrities'
But, they had become virtual celebrities in recent months, seldom out
of cartoons and gossip columns, and leading a swaggering lifestyle
that included parties, luxury cars, flashy jewellery and trademark
sunglasses.
The saga took a fresh twist with their deportation on Friday after
a scuffle at the airport.
But, a broad spectrum of Kenyan politicians, civil activists and media
complained they should have been kept here, and interrogated over
their alleged high-level connections and mysterious business dealings.
Two lesser-known brothers deported
Kibaki said: "I have only one family, which consists of the first
lady Lucy Kibaki, daughter Judy Kibaki, Sons Jimmy, David, Tony and
their wives and children.
"No member of my family has had any dealings with the said
foreigners...I am, therefore, demanding that the newspaper should
apologise to me and my family for the blatant lies."
Two lesser-known brothers were also deported. Kibaki added: "The
matter of their stay and transactions in Kenya is the subject of
investigations."
Fuelling concern at what they were doing, police said guns, machetes
and bulletproof vests were recovered at the Armenians' luxury home
in Nairobi after they were deported.
It was reported that the government's handling of the saga was
"shameful".
The reports said: "Besides seeking explanations as to why the two
brothers were quickly spirited out of the country, the public demands
to be told how government vehicles got their way into the Runda
residence of the Artur brothers," it said in an editorial.