News

Story by FRED MUKINDA

The Kiruki report recommended the arrest and prosecution of the Armenian brothers for causing a security breach at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport should they return to the country.

The charges to be preferred against the two include assault, creating disturbance, obstructing a customs officer on duty, provoking the public by drawing guns and behaving in a manner likely to cause a breach of the peace.

The commission also believed they committed more offences, including robberies and being in possession of illegal weapons. Others were forgery, establishing radio communication without a licence and fraudulent imitation of vehicle number plates.

The commission, however, did not unravel the true identities of the Armenian brothers since they travelled using stolen or forged documents.

Mr Sargasyan, who always wore glasses, was a drug dealer who arrived in Kenya to find a safe haven for the trade. They were involved with a number of companies, which were also found to have engaged in a number of criminal activities.

The Kiruki report said it was difficult to establish the exact business the Arturs were conducting in Kenya since they had no offices, no bank accounts and no evidence of investment.

During the inquiry, the brothers were described as dubious international criminals and undesirable characters.

At one time, according to the report, they had masqueraded as royalty, claiming they were from the monarchy in Armenia, a country that has not been ruled by a monarch for 1,500 years.

However, retired CID chief Joseph Kamau was also cleared of any wrong doing in the Arturs’ saga, although he was repeatedly named as the issue was being discussed in the media.

Never summoned

Mr Kamau was never summoned to give testimony.

One of the commission failures is that it could not identify the owners of guns and 13 cars seized by police from the brothers’ Runda residence during a night raid.

Those who read the report said it recommended further investigation into the matter of guns. According to the law, the guns should be disposed of, but only after the fresh investigation had been completed, says the report which was handed to President Kibaki on August 28, 2006.

The Standard, which had claimed the Arturs had taken part in a raid at its offices in March, was also barred by the commission from inspecting tapes and computers seized from the Runda residence.

In regard to crucial Government establishments, it recommended they undergo major modernisation.