We have dealt with 'wash wash' gangs, DCI boss says

Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss Mohammed Amin. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss Mohammed Amin now says that the agency has dealt a big blow to 'wash wash' gangs.

Speaking after a meeting with FBI Director Christopher Wray, Amin said that the number of gold scam reported cases has reduced drastically.

"We have so far downgraded the activities of the gold scammers here in Kenya, they have now relocated to some of our neighbouring countries," said Amin.

According to the DCI boss, most victims come from medium-producing countries and the gangs have been using Kenya as a transit hub to carry out their operations.

He accused lawyers of being part of the scheme to legitimize the process and help launder the illicit money.

"These fraudsters do collaborate with some rogue lawyers and they open escrow accounts whereby the money is then withdrawn immediately from those accounts," he said.

According to Amin, Kenyan scammers often to collaborate with foreigners to scout for victims who are mostly foreigners.

"We have had successful prosecutions, out of a total of 71 reported cases we were able to identify, arrest and prosecute 64 people, some Kenyans and others are foreigners."

Amin lauded the FBI's contribution to the investigation of these cases saying DCI tapped their expertise in social media investigations and the recovery of the proceeds of crime.