He stated that the corrupt activities took place in Kenya where Windward’s beneficial owner, Gichuru is resident and that during the period, he was also the Chief Executive Officer of KPLC/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 26 – Authorities in the Island of Jersey have seized Sh512 million from a company associated with former Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) Managing Director Samuel Gichuru after it pleaded guilty to four counts of money laundering on February 24, 2016.
Windward admitted to laundering the proceeds of corruption between July 29, 1999 and October 19, 2001.
The Royal Court of Jersey made the confiscation order of £3,281,897.40(Sh467,456,138.41) and US$540,330.69 (Sh54,961,259.83) on Wednesday and subsequently confiscated the cash which was held in the offshore account of Windward Trading Limited.
Jersey’s Attorney General Robert MacRae said the move effectively stripped the company of all its assets, leaving his office to focus on the ongoing effort to bring Gichuru and former Energy Cabinet Minister Chris Okemo to justice.
“This is a very important case, demonstrating Jersey’s commitment to combating money-laundering and tackling international corruption,” he stated.
“I look forward to discussions with the Kenyan authorities on an asset sharing agreement in order to repatriate the confiscated funds to Kenya in an appropriate manner,” he pointed out.
He stated that the corrupt activities took place in Kenya where Windward’s beneficial owner, Gichuru is resident and that during the period, he was also the Chief Executive Officer of KPLC.
He pointed out that during his tenure, KPLC awarded valuable contracts to a number of engineering and energy companies worldwide who all made corrupt payments to Windward.
“The confiscation order provides an indication as to the scale of the criminal conduct that took place,” he stated.
He expressed optimism that Kenyan authorities would conclude the ongoing extradition proceedings so that Gichuru and Okemo are handed over to face money laundering charges in connection with Windward’s activities.
“In June 2011, the Attorney General of Jersey requested the extradition of Samuel Gichuru and Chrisanthus Okemo, former Kenyan Energy Minister, from Kenya to face money laundering charges in Jersey in connection with Windward’s activities. The extradition proceedings are still ongoing,” he stated.
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