Submit this form
Home News Videos Music Photos Facebook Twitter Friends Newsletter Podcasts Mobile RSS
Gold smugglers charged in Kenyan court

BBC News - May 12, 2011
Presidents Joseph Kabila and Mwai Kibaki meet at Harambee House in Nairobi, Kenya
Presidents Kabila and Kibaki meet in Nairobi, Kenya on March 4, 2011 over gold smuggling

Three suspected gold smugglers from the Democratic Republic of Congo have been charged with fraud in a Kenyan court.

Their names appear on a list of DR Congo's 15 most-wanted gold smugglers, accused of stealing 2.5 tonnes of gold between July 2010 and February 2011.

The men, arrested this week in Nairobi with 400kg of gold, deny the charges.

Congolese officials see Kenya as a major hub in the illegal gold trade, which fuels conflict in the mineral-rich east of DR Congo.

In March, Kenya and DR Congo agreed to jointly investigate the trade.

'Gun-running'

A Congolese diplomat in Nairobi, Bob Katamba, told the BBC that one of the suspects who appeared in court on Thursday, Jean-Claude Mudeke Kabamba, was believed to the ring leader of the trade.

He said it was alleged he went by the alias "General Kabamba" and was believed to be gun-running for the Mai Mai rebel group in eastern DR Congo in exchange for gold.

Kenyan police say a computer with valuable information about the clandestine trade was also seized this week.

Gen Kabamba and two other suspects, Ruphin Kazadi Elumba and Jean-Claude Dyansangu Kanza, were charged with conspiracy to defraud a gold buyer of $1.4m by posing as legal gold dealers.

The BBC's Odhiambo Joseph in Nairobi says the men are due back in court next Tuesday. Police say they expect to press more charges as their investigation is still going on.

In February, a Kenyan official investigating a suspected case of gold smuggling was shot dead in Nairobi.


Related articles


  1. Felix Tshisekedi Sworn In as DR Congo President (January 24, 2019)
  2. Constitutional Court Declares Tshisekedi Winner of Presidential Election (January 19, 2019)
  3. Felix Tshisekedi Vows to Be the President of All Congolese (January 10, 2019)
  4. Felix Tshisekedi Elected DR Congo President (January 10, 2019)
  5. DR Congo Delays Results of December Election (January 6, 2019)
  6. Jean-Pierre Bemba Returns to DR Congo (August 1, 2018)
  7. At least 30 dead after massacres in Ituri (March 2, 2018)
  8. Botswana Urges Joseph Kabila to Step Down (February 26, 2018)
  9. No elections in DR Congo in December without electronic voting machines: INEC (February 13, 2018)
  10. US Warns DR Congo Against Electronic Voting for Delayed Election (February 12, 2018)
  11. Felix Tshisekedi accuses INEC of illegally prolonging Kabila's mandate (October 24, 2017)
  12. DRC Seeks Arrest of Presidential Candidate Moise Katumbi (May 19, 2016)
  13. Papa Wemba Is Buried in Kinshasa (May 4, 2016)
  14. Papa Wemba Awarded Highest National Honor as Thousands Pay Tribute (May 2, 2016)
  15. DR Congo reach final of African Nations Championship (February 3, 2016)
  16. DR Congo Scores High on Growth, Lags in Poverty Reduction: IMF (October 13, 2015)
  17. Political tensions 'running high' in DR Congo ahead of 2016 elections (October 7, 2015)
  18. Rights Groups: DR Congo Must Free Pro-democracy Activists (April 13, 2015)
  19. Police Open Fire on Crowd Protesting Election Law Change (January 19, 2015)
  20. Etienne Tshisekedi Evacuated to Belgium for Medical Treatment (August 16, 2014)
  21. Congo Improves Natural Resources Accounting (July 4, 2014)
  22. 15 dead in football match stampede in Kinshasa (May 12, 2014)
  23. Kerry Calls on Kabila to Honor Constitution (May 4, 2014)
  24. Kerry in DR Congo for Security Talks (May 3, 2014)
  25. Security Council extends UN mission, intervention force in DR Congo for one year (March 28, 2014)
  26. Death toll in Lake Albert boat accident rises to 108 people (March 24, 2014)
  27. DR Congo Takes Chairmanship of COMESA at Summit in Kinshasa (February 26, 2014)
  28. New DR Congo amnesty law welcomed by UN envoys (February 5, 2014)
  29. DR Congo, M23 Rebels Sign Declarations Marking End of Kampala Peace Talks (December 12, 2013)
  30. DR Congo Honors Nelson Mandela, Hero and Model for Humanity (December 6, 2013)


Live TV Congo Radio en ligne Radio
Available on App Store
Get it on Google Play



Contact Us | About Us | Édition en Français | French Edition

© CongoPlanet.com. All rights reserved.