Former Kenyan Assistant Minister for Internal Security, Stephen Tarus, has been remanded to Luzira prison in Uganda following his arrest on charges of smuggling gold into the country using counterfeit documents.
The Ugandan authorities detained Tarus, who previously served as an assistant minister under the late President Mwai Kibaki, as well as Kenya’s high commissioner to Australia from 2009 to 2012. He also held the position of Member of Parliament between 2003 and 2007.
Tarus was presented before a Ugandan anti-corruption court on Wednesday, accused of falsifying export documents, as reported by the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA). The URA alleges that the use of fraudulent trade documentation has resulted in significant financial losses for the Ugandan government.
The specific charges against Tarus relate to the forgery of export documents for 13 kilograms of gold valued at $30,000 (£24,000). Authorities suspect that the gold was destined for Dubai as part of an illicit smuggling operation.
Mr. Tarus, aged 57, has not yet issued any statements regarding the allegations. He will remain in Luzira prison until January 18, pending further investigations into the incident.
The case has garnered attention due to the high-profile nature of Mr. Tarus’ political background and the severity of the charges he faces in connection with the alleged gold smuggling operation.
