By Media Guru Team
Serial global gold fraudster, Congolese Andre Kongolo Tshikunga was arraigned before the trial Court at Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi County on Wednesday for a pre-trial proceedings.
Nairobi’s Senior Principal Magistrate Bernard Ochoi issued an order for the State Prosecutor Gachoka to supply the accused with all the necessary documents to enable the accused and complainants to prepare a speedy trial.
The Magistrate stressed that the amount involved in the criminal matter was huge sums of money and since the complainants were foreigners, there was need to fast track the trial to enable both parties get Justice.
The accused attempt to review the tough bond conditions issued by the court was dismissed as the State in oral application submitted that the vice is common in the country and need to tame it is long overdue as more complaint of gold fraudsters conning victims is on the rise.
Andre Kongolo Tshikunga was remanded at Nairobi Industrial Area Remand Prison pending the hearing of his two criminal cases.
He was charged with obtaining Ksh 577 million from a Japan businessman pretending to be in a position to sell to the complainant 200 kilograms of gold which didn’t exist.
The suspect, Kongolo alias Joseph Kimo was freed on bond without an alternative of a cash bail. He was required to deposit all his foreign and Kenyan passports with the court pending the hearing and determination of his case.
The accused was informed by the trial Court not to leave the jurisdictions without the permission.
Nairobi’s Senior Principal Magistrate Bernard Ochoi issued tough conditions while granting the accused a bond of Ksh10 millon for defrauding a Ukrainian national investor Ksh 120 million pretending he would sell him gold on top of the 50 million in a separate charge.
The accused suspected of conning several businessmen and women both International and locally obtained from Nashmoto Masaaki USD 5,772,717 equivalent to Ksh 577,271,700 by falsely pretending that he was in a position to sell him 200 kilograms of gold.
