New details have emerged about Mariam Abdalla Bunu, the acting Chief Officer for Finance for Tana River County, that was arrested by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) officers.
According to a document circulating online and from highly placed sources (as we have gathered), Ms Mariam is a nominee for the Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) position.
It is not clear what the money was meant to facilitate, but some allegde it was a bribe to the Public Service Commissioners (PSC) for the interview.
Mr Mariam Abdalla Bunu was arrested before boarding a plane to Nairobi.
“EACC, on Tuesday, in collaboration with Malindi International Airport Police intercepted and arrested MARIAM ABDALLA BUNU, Ag Chief Officer for Finance in Tana River County Government, who was travelling to Nairobi with unexplained and undeclared Kes.2.7M in cash,” EACC wrote in the morning.
Ms Abdalla Bunu recorded a statement at the EACC Malindi Offices.
Kenyan law on undeclared large amounts of cash
As per the Kenya law Cap 491, any person entering or leaving Kenya must declare monies in cash above Sh500,000.
“Any person leaving or entering Kenya may take out or bring into Kenya currency upto a maximum of five hundred thousand (KSh. 500,000) shillings or the equivalent of five thousand United States dollars (US$ 5,000) in foreign currency. Any person in possession of currency exceeding the limits specified in regulation 2 shall declare the amount to the Customs Officer at the point of entry or departure,” the Central Bank of Kenya (Declaration of Currency) Regulations, 1998 states in parts.
In January 2022, a foreigner was arrested at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in possession of Sh110 million.
Mr Khalid Jameel Saeed, a Bahrain national, was carrying the money in foreign currency.
The Asset Recovery Agency (ARA) kept the money for a year.
In December, a court ordered ARA to refund the money to Mr Khalid Jameel Saeed.
“The court hereby finds that the applicant (ARA) did not prove its case on a balance of probabilities,” the judge said as she ordered the agency to release the money to Mr Saeed.
The court heard that the foreigner arrived in Kenya on January 13 but failed to declare cash upon entry into Nairobi.
1. EACC, on Tuesday, in collaboration with Malindi International Airport Police intercepted and arrested MARIAM ABDALLA BUNU, Ag Chief Officer for Finance in Tana River County Government, who was travelling to Nairobi with unexplained and undeclared Kes.2.7M in cash. pic.twitter.com/t2MHVQ7Ep8
— EACC (@EACCKenya) March 2, 2023
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