The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has arrested a prominent Nairobi lawyer in connection with an elaborate fake gold scheme that defrauded a Canadian investor of USD 618,000 (approximately Sh79 million).
Michael Otieno Owano, an advocate and proprietor of Otieno M.O. Law Advocates, was taken into custody as part of an ongoing crackdown on transnational gold fraud syndicates operating in Kenya. The lawyer allegedly facilitated a fraudulent gold export deal involving 250 kilograms of gold purportedly destined for Dubai aboard a private jet.
According to DCI investigations, the Canadian victim was initially invoiced USD 318,400 by EAI Logistics on April 15, 2025, with the funds transferred directly to Owano’s law firm account. The scammers later demanded an additional USD 300,000 in cryptocurrency, but no gold was ever delivered to the unsuspecting investor.
Owano’s arrest follows that of Francis Talla Ouafo, a Cameroonian national identified as the syndicate’s mastermind, who was arraigned at Milimani Chief Magistrate’s Court on July 31, 2025. The network’s operations appear to span multiple African countries, with investigators also pursuing cases involving Gabonese and Congolese victims.
In related arrests, Lupemba Lorenzi Olivier from Congo appeared in court over a separate gold fraud targeting a Gabonese investor, while Kelvin Otieno Onyango, allegedly the director of SwiftTaxis Logistics Ltd, was detained for his role in facilitating fraudulent transactions worth USD 140,000.
The DCI’s Operations Support Unit continues to investigate the sophisticated network, which has reportedly defrauded foreign investors of hundreds of thousands of dollars through fake gold schemes. All suspects remain in custody pending arraignment as authorities work to dismantle these transnational fraud operations.
The case highlights Kenya’s growing reputation as a hub for elaborate gold scams targeting international investors, prompting increased scrutiny of the country’s gold trade sector.
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