Nancy Kigunzu popularly known as Mathe Wa Ngara has suffered a huge blow after the High Court ordered that the Sh 13.4 million seized from her by the police be forfeited to the state.
In a ruling on Tuesday, April 30, Justice Esther Maina ordered that the money be forfeited to the government after Mathe Wa Ngara failed to explain the source of the Sh 13.4.
The suspect also failed to explain why she kept the millions in sacks in her home instead of taking them to the bank.
Justice Maina noted that the money was proceeds of crime as there was evidence that the police found cannabis sativa, a narcotic substance, at Kigunzi's residence.
“An order is hereby made declaring that the sum of Kenya Shillings 13,474,520 found at the respondent’s residence but in custody of the Central Bank of Kenya is proceeds of crime and therefore liable to forfeiture to the Government of Kenya,” Justice Maina ruled.
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Mathe Wa Ngara was arrested in August 2023 and large quantities of bhang and Sh.13.4 million in cash were seized by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI).
Following her arrest, the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) applied to the High Court to forfeit the funds on the grounds that they could be proceeds of crime.
However, Mathe Wa Ngara through her lawyers Cliff Ombeta and Danstan Omari on Monday requested the court to order the money to be presented before it as an exhibit and not to be seized by the state.
