New revelations have placed MozzartBet, one of Kenya’s most prominent betting firms, back at the center of a multi-million shilling money laundering storm, as court documents expose a complex web of suspicious transactions disguised as software payments.
The controversial company is now facing renewed scrutiny after its latest appeal in a Sh300 million money laundering case was thrown out by a three-judge bench, which ordered that the seized cash be forfeited to the State.
Court papers reviewed by The Informant reveal chilling details of how MozzartBet channelled over Sh300 million through obscure companies allegedly to “maintain and upgrade its betting software.”
Earlier this year, MozzartBet had returned to court to contest the government’s seizure of Sh302 million (USD 2.6 million), claiming the money was legitimate business capital. However, the court dismissed the explanation as “dubious” and ruled that the funds were proceeds of crime.
Justice Esther Maina, in her April ruling, declared that the cash — held across three bank accounts — formed part of a sophisticated money-laundering network backed by mobile money payments. The court concluded that the money was not derived from the company’s lawful gambling operations and must therefore be surrendered to the government.
In its defence, MozzartBet claimed the funds were meant to purchase a software system from a company known as Kimaco Connections. “The millions were intended to buy software to upgrade our betting platform. We had already paid Sh256 million, which was part of the seized amount,” the company said in court papers.
But investigators from the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) traced the funds beyond Kimaco Connections. The court heard that Kimaco’s director, Peter Kiilu, allegedly wired Sh242 million to another company, Open Skies Management Services — owned by Zimbabwean national Emmanuel Charumbira, who is also a shareholder in MozzartBet.
ARA argued that the transactions formed part of a deliberate attempt to disguise the origin of illicit funds under the cover of legitimate business. The agency insisted that MozzartBet was “hiding in betting operations to propel a money-laundering empire in Kenya.”
MozzartBet’s appeal to overturn the ruling was dismissed in September, with the appellate judges affirming that the firm’s case was “null and void.” The court further criticized the company’s defence as “a smokescreen to conceal financial crimes.”
The scandal has reignited public concern over Kenya’s booming betting industry and its alleged ties to illicit financial flows, as investigators continue to unravel the global networks behind MozzartBet’s murky money trail.
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