Recent news has been marked by the arrest of Stephen Tarus, former deputy minister of internal security in Kenya, by the Ugandan authorities. He is accused of smuggling gold into Uganda using false documents.
Stephen Tarus, who was arrested last week, was brought before a Ugandan anti-corruption court last Wednesday to face charges of falsifying export documents. According to the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), the use of fraudulent business documents has resulted in significant financial losses to the Ugandan government.
The charges against Stephen Tarus relate specifically to counterfeiting export documents relating to 13 kilograms of gold worth $30,000. The URA suspects that this gold was destined for Dubai as part of a smuggling network.
Pending the results of investigations into this case, Stephen Tarus was detained at Luzira Prison until January 18. For the moment, he has not made any statements regarding these accusations.
Aged 57, Stephen Tarus previously served as deputy minister under the presidency of the late Mwai Kibaki. He also served as Kenya’s High Commissioner to Australia from 2009 to 2012 and served in Parliament between 2003 and 2007.
This case has attracted attention due to Stephen Tarus’ political profile and the seriousness of the charges against him in connection with this alleged gold smuggling operation.
Thus, the Ugandan authorities continue to fight against fraud and smuggling of natural resources, particularly gold, which represents an important source of income for the country. This arrest highlights the need to strengthen cooperation between countries in the region to combat these illegal activities.