WikiLeaks says Artur brothers were shielded by top officials

File | NATION Artur Margaryan, one of the two Armenian brothers whose stay in Kenya in 2006 was the subject of controversy, displays an Armenian passport. 

By Nation ReporterPosted Monday, February 28 2011 at 22:00

“Very interesting people, indeed. They seemed to have it their way,” was the observation by then Speaker Francis ole Kaparo in June 2006 when he allowed Parliament to debate a report on the activities of the infamous Artur brothers.

And in a cable to his bosses in Washington, then US envoy William Bellamy revealed that Armenian brothers Artur Sargsyan and Artur Margaryan had close links with powerful offices in government.

The cable, wired to Washington in March 2006, linked the Artur brothers to a drug trafficking syndicate, attempts to block revelations on grand corruption in government and the raid on the Standard Group offices.

Mr Bellamy says the “hitmen” were brought into the country and protected by officials close to State House. The officials also used their connections to accord the brothers privileges, including one being bestowed the title of assistant Commissioner of police.

Mr Bellamy says: “The presence in Kenya of armed foreigners working on behalf of ruling elements has alarmed many Kenyans.”

Mr Bellamy, then political counsel Michael Fritzpatrick, and embassy officials interviewed State House and government officials, opposition politicians to corroborate the cable.

A former top official at the Attorney General’s office is quoted as having told Mr Fritzpatrick that he believed the Artur brothers were brought into the country by a political activist, a State House official and a top CID officer in December 2005. They were accommodated at a five-star hotel in Nairobi before moving to Runda.

Their arrival coincided with high level investigations into a huge haul of cocaine allegedly brought into the country by the Akasha family.

“Some believe these same foreigners played a role (via the Akasha crime family) in the 2004 cocaine shipments seized in Kenya and have now returned to intimidate opponents from releasing information incriminating (State House) in any illicit activities,” the cable says.

The cable says ODM leader Raila Odinga gave the address of the Runda house where the Arturs were suspected to keep drugs before US embassy officials stumbled on it.

The cable alleges the government raided the Standard offices following a tip that they were about to publish a story implicating State House in graft and drug trafficking.

The Standard editors are said to have been told by a police officer that the information they had could easily bring down the government.