Sh45m fine for Mwau business deal

THURSDAY, 30 JUNE 2011 14:45 BY FRANCIS MUREITHI

BLACKLISTED: Kilome MP Harun Mwau (R) has been named a drug kingpin by the US.

Any American company, bank or corporation that will transact business with Kilome MP Harun Mwau risks being fined $500,000 (Sh45 million). Any American individual who will do business with Mwau will face penalties of up to $250,000 (Sh22.5 million) and 20 years in jail. These penalties are spelt out in the US' Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. The Act, among other things, includes seizure of property under American jurisdiction.

Though the director of the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control Adam Szubin has explained the Act is civil in nature, any American or US corporation which violates this Act is considered to have committed a criminal offence and is dealt with under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act which prescribes hefty penalties for the offenders.

On June 1, 2011, President Obama identified Mwau alongside businesswoman Naima Mohammed Nyakiniywa as among the significant foreign narcotics traffickers. Mwau has however denied the allegations maintaining that he is a clean man.

The US government says Mwau has been using Kenyan Diplomatic Passport A921579 with his year of birth given as June 24, 1948. It has indicated that Nyakiniywa, also known as Mama Lela has been using Kenyan Passport A735832 year of birth given as September 2, 1962. No further details have been released on the two in US' OFAC website. There are however more Kenyans in the list of the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons.

The list was updated by OFAC on June 23, 2011 with hundreds of individuals and corporatons named at different dates and years. In the list include Kenyan Ruprah, Sanjivan Singh aka NASR, Samir.

The US says Ruprah was born on August 9, 1966 in Kisumu and his Kenyan passport issued in the United Kingdom. He is listed as a businessman but who also had a Liberian passport and who at one time worked as the Deputy Commissioner, Bureau of Maritime Affairs of Liberia.

Also named is Salem Fahid Muhamad Ali who has several other names and whom the US says was born on February 19, 1976 in Mombasa. Named also is one Afadey aka Issa, with the US saying he was born in Malindi in 1973. Also listed as blocked is one Suweidan, Sheikh Ahmad Salem aka ALLY Ahmed born in Mombasa on April 9, 1969.

Named also is an organisation going by the name Vazir which US says has a branch in Kenya. The organisation, according to the US government has also been using other names such as Alharamain Foundation, Alharamain Humanitarian Foundation and  Al-Haramain Humanitarian Foundation. In the list also is Sudan Air aka Sudan Airways which the US says has been operating in other countries including Kenya.