Nation Media-owned, Nairobi News has revealed details of how flashy politician Zaheer Jhanda almost dragged the company in the fake gold scam.
In a publication on Tuesday, the online news website claimed that Jhanda told the Nation about a gold consignment at JKIA which he claimed belonged to his client.
However, the Nation failed to publish the story after verifying the claims by Mr Jhanda that the gold worth Ksh5 billion belonged to a client.
Grand scheme
"We did not publish the story after verifying his claims. As it has turned out three months later, doing so would have given Mr Jhanda and his accomplices, including a senator from western Kenya, the legitimacy they needed to carry out the fraud," Nairobi News reported.
Reports have emerged that the gold in question was part of a complex fraud scheme where a Saudi royal was allegedly conned of Ksh250 million that is now under investigation.
Nairobi News reported that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) wrote a protest letter asking for the release of gold owed to Ali Zandi who has connections to the Saudi Royal family.
The is said to have prompted a swift reaction by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations that saw a consignment of fake gold being seized Monday at the affluent Kileleshwa suburb.
House raid
Reports claimed that Jhanda said he was the local representative of a Mr Ali Zandi of ZLivia, a gold trading company in the UAE, which had been listed in shipping documents showed to us.
As it has turned out, Mr Zandi did not get his gold shipment but he parted with money.
When sleuths raided the house in Kileleshwa suspected to have fake gold bars, eight vehicles including a Subaru, Mercedes Benz and a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado among others, which were parked near the house were towed to Kilimani Police Station.