Fake tantalum scam mastermind jailed, ordered to refund Chinese investor Ksh.151M

The mastermind behind a fraudulent tantalum minerals scheme that conned a Chinese investor out of Ksh.151 million has been sentenced to three years in prison or pay a fine of Ksh.10 million.

In a judgment delivered at the Milimani Law Courts on Tuesday, Ulundu Patrick Lumumba, also known as Gabriel Kulonda and Lumumba Patrick Byarufu, was convicted of obtaining money by false pretences contrary to Section 313 of the Penal Code.

The court further ordered Lumumba to refund the Chinese investor Ksh.151 million lost in the scam.

According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the conviction brings to an end a case involving an elaborate transnational mineral fraud operation that spanned multiple jurisdictions.

Lumumba was arrested by detectives from the DCI's Operations Support Unit (OSU) on April 5, 2024, shortly after arriving in Nairobi from Entebbe, Uganda.

Investigators said the suspect had attempted to re-enter the country using alternative identification documents and multiple aliases despite a stop order having been placed on one of his travel documents.

The DCI established that Lumumba orchestrated a sophisticated scheme in which containers filled with sand were falsely declared as consignments of tantalum minerals, a valuable metal used in the manufacture of electronic components.

The fraud was uncovered after one of the containers was opened overseas and found to contain drums of sand instead of the highly sought-after mineral, resulting in losses amounting to Ksh.151 million for the Chinese investor.

“Subsequent investigations at the Port of Mombasa uncovered additional containers similarly packed with sand and falsely documented as tantalum consignments, exposing a well-coordinated criminal enterprise that spanned multiple jurisdictions,” the DCI said.

“The sentencing marks the culmination of painstaking investigations by detectives and reaffirms the Directorate’s commitment to dismantling transnational fraud networks, safeguarding investors, and ensuring that criminal schemes do not pay.”