Kenya’s former Assistant Minister for Internal Security, Stephen Kipkiyeny Tarus, appeared in court in Kampala on January 10, 2024, facing charges related to falsifying documents in a gold deal. If convicted, he could serve up to three years in prison or pay a fine of $10,000. Tarus was remanded to Luzira Maximum Security Prison until January 18.
Allegedly, Tarus falsified Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) documents, violating the East African Community Customs Management Act. Sources suggest his involvement in a gold scam, where he purportedly forged a $30,000 receipt, convincing an Indian businessman to release funds for gold clearance. The Indian later discovered the receipt was fake after engaging URA officials, leading to Tarus’s arrest.
Tarus, a former MP and High Commissioner to Australia, is expected to face charges of gold smuggling and document forgery. Uganda serves as a regional hub for illicit gold, often smuggled from neighboring countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. Despite efforts to curb smuggling, Uganda remains an attractive market due to regional instability.
By FCCT Editorial Team
, an independent military force, and allied militias in Sudan raped several dozen women and girls in West Darfur’s capital, El Geneina, and those fleeing to Chad between late April and late June 2023, Human Rights Watch said today. The assailants appear to have targeted people because of their Massalit ethnicity and, in some cases, because they were known activists.){kind=link}