Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid wrote a protest letter to Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang'i over his 'gold consignment' held at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in January this year, fresh details have emerged.
Kenya risks severing diplomatic ties with United Arab Emirates over Sh400 million gold deal in which conmen invoked the names of the country's leadership, to dupe the Dubai ruler's family.
In the letter, Sheikh Bin Rashid asks Dr Matiang'i to have the consignment released, arguing that he understood that the delay was caused by DusitD2 terror attack early this year, but demanded the consignment to be released.
“The delay was caused by the last terrorist attack in your country” apparently referring to the dusitD2 terror attack on January 15.
“Nevertheless, now we need your immediate and strong action to release the totality of Zlivia Gold shipment to UAE as soon as possible and according to the instructions by our General Manager Mr Zandi, who is there in Kenya to organise the shipment," he wrote.
According to him, releasing the consignment was urgent and was the easiest way of solving a possible diplomatic fallout. His nephew Ali Zandi, the manager of the company, was already in Nairobi.
“It is quite urgent to solve this issue the earliest,” the letter by the Dubai ruler had read.
All these time, the Sheikh did not know that his family had been duped. It took the intervention of Mr Raila Odinga, who had also been dragged into the scandal unknowingly, to notice that conmanship surrounding the matter.
Already, detectives have arrested 15 people in connection to the deal. Bungoma Senator Moses Wetangula, is among the people of interest on the matter after it emerged that be played a role in duping the royal family.
“He is a person of interest, and we shall be interrogating him and all others mentioned to determine their degree of involvement,” Mr Kinoti said.