Lawyer arrested over Ksh79 million gold scam
Detectives from the Operations Support Unit (OSU) have arrested lawyer Michael Otieno Owano in connection with a fake gold scam.
Detectives from the Operations Support Unit (OSU) have arrested lawyer Michael Otieno Owano in connection with a fake gold scam.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) stated that the lawyer played a role in defrauding a Canadian investor of $618,000 (Ksh79,876,500) through a fake gold scam.
“In an ongoing investigation, detectives from the Operations Support Unit (OSU) have arrested Michael Otieno Owano, an advocate and proprietor of Otieno M.O. Law Advocates, for his role in a high-stakes scam that defrauded a Canadian investor of USD 618,000,” read the DCI statement in part.
According to the DCI, the Canadian national was lured into a fake gold export deal involving 250 kilograms of gold, allegedly set for shipment to Dubai aboard a private jet.
The victim received a proforma invoice of Ksh41,182,714 issued by EAI Logistics, and the money was wired to Owano’s law firm.
The Canadian investor was later asked to send an additional Ksh38,802,809 to a cryptocurrency wallet.
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“On April 15, 2025, a Proforma Invoice of USD 318,400 was issued by EAI Logistics, with the funds wired to Owano’s law firm account.
“He was later asked to send an additional USDT 300,000 to a cryptocurrency wallet, but no gold was ever delivered,” DCI stated.
Owano’s arrest follows the earlier arrest of Francis Talla Ouafo, also known as Allain, a Cameroonian national believed to be the mastermind of the syndicate.
Allain was arraigned on July 31, 2025, at the Milimani Chief Magistrate’s Court.
Owano is currently in police custody, undergoing processing pending arraignment in court.
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