President Salva Kiir. Mr John Agou Wuoi?, a former spy-turned-businessman, together with four Kenyans was last week sentenced to life by a Juba court for forging the signature and official seal of the Sudanese President. (PHOTO: COURTESY)

Sailors Restaurant might offer the best grilled meat but a past party it hosted offers a rare glimpse into lives of wealthy South Sudanese 'refugees'.

After the graduation ceremony of Anyieth Chaat Paul, known to her friends of the class of 2012 as Susan, her husband threw a party at the high-end night club.

About 20 friends were invited and drinks flowed freely as the budget for the night, according to a close friend, was Sh1.5 million.

Mr John Agou Wuoi's generosity was clearer at Kenya's hour of need when he donated Sh50 million ($500,000) to help victims of Westgate attack in September 2013.

It was not much money for Susan's millionaire husband Agou, a former spy-turned-businessman, who together with four Kenyans was last week sentenced to life by a Juba court.

His crime was forging the signature and official seal of President Salva Kiir, in a story that reads like the script of a Hollywood thriller.

The four Kenyans are victims of a bitter business rivalry intertwined with heists of massive proportions perpetrated by two close family members who have taken turns to spend time behind bars.

A close friend narrated the events that led to the heavy sentences, which have been corroborated with other sources, court documents and stories carried in South Sudanese media.

It started in unlikely of places; Kakuma Refugee Camp where Athorbei Gadaffi, who shared a father with Mr Agou, grew up after his mother fled the Sudan civil war that lasted between 1983 and 2005.

After finishing Form Four in Kenya, Mr Gadaffi successfully applied and got asylum in Canada where he lived for several years.

With the new-found exposure and the relative calm at home, Gadaffi came back under unclear circumstances and immediately landed into big business making government supplies including stationery.

Due to the limited housing, Gadaffi who was trading through his firm Jupiter Printing, started off by living with his half-brother Agou who was then a journalist.

Gadaffi got big deals and recruited 12 staff including three Kenyans, setting up a major business empire that included selling Apple products such as iPhones and Mac computers. Often, he was on flights to and from Nairobi where he got his supplies.

Aguo would later abandon the pen and become a spy for the government in Juba in early 2012.

As half-brothers whose fortunes were taking different paths but living in the same four-bedroom house including their Kenyan employees, it was easy to tell the growing unease.

It would be worse when Gadaffi landed a deal worth $6.9 million (Sh690 million), which was promptly transferred to a Kenyan bank.

Later, he travelled to Nairobi where he withdrew a portion, loaded it into a SUV and drove off in the company of friends including this narrator.

But before he left the banking hall, he left a notification with the manager that he would be coming back in days to withdraw the balance.

Alarm bells had gone off among the banking employees including the manager who raised concerns with Central Bank of South Sudan about the size of the transfer and whether it was legitimate.

When he went back for more funds, he was asked to consult the bank back in Juba. He was advised he needed to clear some paperwork before the transfer could be completed.

But as soon as he arrived in Juba, Gadaffi was arrested for fraud and would spend nine months behind bars. He talked his way out after repaying the equivalent of the amount already withdrawn in Nairobi.

All the while, he suspected that his spy half-brother may have given away critical evidence that helped the prosecution's case.

In the nine months, Agou's business that was a mirror reflection of Jupiter Printing Services was under a different name, Transcop Supplies.

Transcop too had recruited seven Kenyans and its owner, Agou, had also built an empire in Kenya in real estate, trusts, bank balances and in cash.