Kenya deports 35 Chinese, 5 Taiwanese earlier released by courts in wire fraud

Thirty three Chinese nationals at Milimani law courts where they were charged with three counts. Kenya deported to China, 35 Chinese and five Taiwanese earlier released by courts in wire fraud crimes. (PHOTO: COURTESY)

Kenya Monday deported to China, 35 Chinese and five Taiwanese earlier released by courts in wire fraud crimes.
The 40 foreigners were put in a China Airlines flight headed for Guangzhou at about 2 am today and deported after being detained in police cells for two nights.

A Nairobi court acquitted the 40 foreigners due to insufficient evidence in the charges of illegally running a telecommunications system, conspiracy to commit felony and engaging in organised crime.

They were removed from Gigiri police cells on Sunday night and driven to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport where they were put in a plane and sent to Guangzhou, officials who were handling them said.
Taiwan envoy to Kenya, John Chen, had earlier on asked Kenya not to deport the five Taiwanese.

He had held a press conference and called on authorities to release the passports of the five who were among the 40 foreigners who were arrested two years ago on suspicion of involvement in wire fraud.

“They have been in cells for long and I urge the authorities not to deport them to China,” he said.
But the deportation happened hours later.

A senior official said there was a court order for their deportation and they would not bend the law.
“They needed to go and get another order to stop it. We had to implement the order,” said a senior officer who asked not to be named.

On Friday, Senior Principal Magistrate Joyce Gondani acquitted the 40 foreigners due to insufficient evidence in the charges of illegally running a telecommunication system, conspiracy to commit felony and engaging in organized crime.

They had been charged with running unlicensed telecommunications systems.
The magistrate ruled that the prosecution failed to prove its case against the 40 suspects and directed that they be repatriated to their respective countries.

Early this year, 45 Chinese nationals who were arrested in 2014 on suspicion of engaging in illegal cyber operations, were also set free by the court on similar grounds and later deported amid protests from Taiwan some of their nationals were sent to China.

Kenya said there are no direct flights to Taipei and hence they were forced to send the foreigners to China despite the protests.

So far 111 Chinese and Taiwanese have been arrested, but most of them were deported because they didn't have proper documentation to stay in Kenya, police said.
Forty-five other Taiwanese nationals arrested on similar charges were draped in black hoods and deported to China upon their acquittal in April, despite protests.

They are currently undergoing a second trial in China. Taiwan is fighting China's claim to its territory.
The group of illegal immigrants was apprehended on December 3, 2014 at a house in Runda and charged with operating a cyber-command centre, which the police suspected, was for hacking Kenya’s financial and communication systems.

Police made the discovery of the sophisticated telecommunication equipment after a fire broke out in their Runda house killing one of the foreigners.