Former Assistant Minister Stephen Tarus arrested in Uganda for alleged gold smuggling

Stephen Tarus, a former assistant minister during the late President Mwai Kibaki's reign, was arrested in Uganda last week on charges of smuggling 13 kilograms of gold into the country using forged documents.

Tarus, a one-time Assistant Minister for Internal Security, was subsequently arraigned before an anti-corruption court on Wednesday where the bench directed his remand at Luzira  Prison until January 18, pending investigations into his alleged offenses.

Ugandan police are also investigating whether Tarus, 57, might be part of a larger gold smuggling ring operating in Kampala.

He is set to be charged with gold smuggling, fraud and the falsification of Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) documents which include a receipt falsely indicating a payment of USD30,000 (approx. Ksh.4.8 million) in Kampala for the transportation of the gold.

Tarus held the position of assistant Internal Security Minister under President Kibaki's administration from 2009 to 2012.

Before that, he represented Emgwen as a Member of Parliament from 2003 to 2007.