UK Plans to Slam the Door On Corruption Suspects
17/07/2019: The British government plans to bar people facing graft charges from travelling to the UK, according to the outgoing High Commissioner, Mr Nic Hailey. His government, he said, was working closely with Kenya to repatriate illegally acquired Kenyan assets and had asked for the names of corruption suspects.
Mr Hailey spoke during a farewell visit to Integrity Centre where he held discussions with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC). He was officially welcomed by the Chair, Retired Archbishop Eliud, Wabukala, Commissioners and the CEO, Mr. Twalib Mbarak, whom he assured of his government’s support in the ongoing fight against corruption.
Chairman Wabukala welcomed the British government’s support such as its Formulation of a Framework for the Return of Stolen Assets to Kenya, which he lauded as a deterrence “as there is no haven in Britain for illegally acquired wealth”. On UK’s plans to bar corruption suspects, he described it as a good mechanism in ensuring that such individuals remain within the investigation jurisdiction for prosecution.
Mr. Mbarak thanked Britain for its support in developing an Anti-Corruption Policy Framework, which led to the signing of the Framework for the Return of Assets from Corruption and Crime in Kenya (FRACCK). He also highlighted the Commission’s benchmarking visit to UK to share experience and best practice with peer agencies such as the Serious Fraud Office, Metropolitan Police and The Crown Prosecution Service. A similar visit to National Crime Agency is scheduled for later this year.
The UK had also supported law enforcement in Kenya by embedding an investigations advisor funded by UK Department for International Development to the Commission. In addition, it had dedicated an International Anti-Corruption Liaison Officer (UK National Crime Agency) at the High Commission to provide support and coordinate investigations with international dimensions.
The CEO highlighted the following as some of the notable successes of the UK-Kenya partnership in the fight against corruption:
- Smith & Ouzman Case: Repatriation of assets worth about 43 million, whose proceeds were used to buy ambulances to support the health referral system.
- Anglo-Leasing Case: Preservation of assets owned by suspects in the Anglo-leasing corruption
case.
- Information sharing: Expeditious sharing of information relating to high profile investigations
- Mutual Legal Assistance: Facilitating the expeditious processing of MLAs.
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