We’ve no link to South Sudan $10 million dollars (KSh1.03billion) cash allegedly banked by Gen. Cirillo, says Ecobank
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Elisabeth Janaina
Feb 26, 2017, 12:52:17 AM2/26/17
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We’ve no link to South Sudan $10 million dollars (KSh1.03billion) cash
allegedly banked by Gen. Cirillo, says Ecobank
Feb. 25 Featured, Uncategorized no comments
By STAR REPORTER @thestarkenya, FEB/25/2017, SSN;
Ecobank yesterday denied any involvement in the Sh1.03 billion (10
million dollars) transferred from South Sudan by a former government
official, and which is now a subject of investigations.
The South Sudanese government has reported tracing its missing money
to accounts at three banks in Kenya. These are linked to Lt Gen Thomas
Cirillo Swaka, a former SPLA Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of
Logistics, and his kin Fueni Cirillo.
Ecobank said documents, including a bank statement, bearing its
letterhead were falsified.
“We wish to confirm we neither hold the account number published in
The Star newspaper nor have any accounts that bear names similar to
what was mentioned in The Star report. Furthermore, the bank
statements published in the newspaper are falsified,” the bank said in
a statement.
Ecobank said there are glaring inconsistencies in the story and
documentation relied on to publish the report, including a
non-existent account number, non-existent account names and a wrong
branch address.
“The story indicated that $10 million had been stolen from the South
Sudan government and stashed in three Kenyan banks, among them Ecobank
Kenya. We wish to emphatically state that we adhere to strong
anti-money laundering policies, as well as Know Your Customer
procedures in line with best practice and regulatory requirements,”
the bank said.
“We conduct our business professionally, ethically, with integrity and
in accordance with Kenyan laws and regulations, as well as
international best practice and have put in place a robust vetting
process aimed at ensuring Ecobank Group and all its affiliates are not
used as conduits of money laundering.”
Ecobank said it has not received any official request from the
authorities on the issue.
Sudan Chief of General Staff Paul Awan said the cash went missing
after Swaka quit his job and defected from the Sudan People’s
Liberation Army.
A letter dated February 9 shows that Awan asked Renish Omullo, a
special envoy in charge of Germany international and regional affairs,
to trace and return the cash, which was transacted in US dollars.
Omullo wrote to Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed on
February 10 requesting that bank accounts held by Swaka and Cirillo be
frozen.
Swaka was described in the letter as a former SPLA officer and
fugitive in Kenya who stole more than $10 million. In his resignation,
Swaka accused President Salva Kiir and SPLA leaders of abuses and
pushing the tribal agenda in the country.
=================================================== ORIGINAL ARTICLE
BY THE STAR NEWSPAPER, NAIROBI, KENYA
South Sudan traces missing Sh1.03 billion to Kenyan banks
Feb. 21, 2017, 9:00 am
By MAURICE ALAL, @alalmaurice, The Star, Nairobi, Kenya.
The South Sudanese government has reported tracing its missing Sh1.03
billion to accounts at Ecobank, Kenya Commercial Bank and Co-operative
Bank of Kenya.
These are linked to Lt Gen Thomas Cirillo Swaka – former SPLA Deputy
Chief of Staff in charge of logistics, and his kin Fueni Cirillo.
Cirillo is reportedly a Human Resource Managament student at Mount
Kenya University. But MKU has denied she is a student there. No
further details were provided about her.
An Ecobank statement seen by the Star shows transactions on the money
after it was reported missing from the South Sudan government this
month.
These were for account 0040025032685901 belonging to Fueni.
Paul Awan, chief of general staff, said the cash went missing after
Swaka quit his job and defected from Sudan People’s Liberation Army.
A letter dated February 9 shows that Awan asked Renish Omullo, a
special envoy in charge of Germany international and regional affairs,
to trace and return the cash which was transacted in US dollars.
Read: Kenyan woman appointed special envoy for South Sudan in Germany
Renish wrote to Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed on
February 10 requesting that bank accounts held by Swaka and Cirillo be
frozen.
Swaka is described in the letter, also seen by the Star, as a former
SPLA officer and fugitive in Kenya who stole more than $10 million.
“This office is under instructions from the Office of the President,
Government of South Sudan to kindly request you to facilitate a freeze
of these accounts and recover the money back to Bank of South Sudan
A/C name – Military Strategic Division; A/C no – (USD) 0026921002607,”
Renish says in her letter.
“However this letter has not gone through our embassy in Nairobi
because of the sensitivity of the matter and conflict of interest at
the embassy.”
Renish said the money had already been secured and would be rerouted
back to South Sudan.
Reached for comment, Ecobank said in a statement: “We do not have such
an account, neither do we have an official request on the same.”
Co-operative Bank and KCB were not immediately available for comment
while officials at the Foreign Affairs ministry referred the Star to
the Interior ministry.
In his resignation, Gen Swaka accused President Salva Kiir and SPLA
leaders of abuses and pushing the tribal agenda in the country.
He becomes the second highest-ranking officer to resign after Gen
Bapiny Monytuil since clashes erupted between government soldiers and
opposition fighters in July 2016.
Read: How ‘false’ Facebook post caused death of 272 in South Sudan
A report revealed in September last year that South Sudan’s political
and military elite had siphoned money from their country and bought
expensive assets in Nairobi and other capitals within East Africa.
Among the many details outlined in the report are pictures of luxury
villas, said to be owned by politicians and generals in Kenya, Uganda,
Ethiopia and Australia.
Read The Sentry’s investigative report: War crimes shouldn’t pay:
Stopping the looting and destruction in South Sudan
allegedly banked by Gen. Cirillo, says Ecobank
Feb. 25 Featured, Uncategorized no comments
By STAR REPORTER @thestarkenya, FEB/25/2017, SSN;
Ecobank yesterday denied any involvement in the Sh1.03 billion (10
million dollars) transferred from South Sudan by a former government
official, and which is now a subject of investigations.
The South Sudanese government has reported tracing its missing money
to accounts at three banks in Kenya. These are linked to Lt Gen Thomas
Cirillo Swaka, a former SPLA Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of
Logistics, and his kin Fueni Cirillo.
Ecobank said documents, including a bank statement, bearing its
letterhead were falsified.
“We wish to confirm we neither hold the account number published in
The Star newspaper nor have any accounts that bear names similar to
what was mentioned in The Star report. Furthermore, the bank
statements published in the newspaper are falsified,” the bank said in
a statement.
Ecobank said there are glaring inconsistencies in the story and
documentation relied on to publish the report, including a
non-existent account number, non-existent account names and a wrong
branch address.
“The story indicated that $10 million had been stolen from the South
Sudan government and stashed in three Kenyan banks, among them Ecobank
Kenya. We wish to emphatically state that we adhere to strong
anti-money laundering policies, as well as Know Your Customer
procedures in line with best practice and regulatory requirements,”
the bank said.
“We conduct our business professionally, ethically, with integrity and
in accordance with Kenyan laws and regulations, as well as
international best practice and have put in place a robust vetting
process aimed at ensuring Ecobank Group and all its affiliates are not
used as conduits of money laundering.”
Ecobank said it has not received any official request from the
authorities on the issue.
Sudan Chief of General Staff Paul Awan said the cash went missing
after Swaka quit his job and defected from the Sudan People’s
Liberation Army.
A letter dated February 9 shows that Awan asked Renish Omullo, a
special envoy in charge of Germany international and regional affairs,
to trace and return the cash, which was transacted in US dollars.
Omullo wrote to Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed on
February 10 requesting that bank accounts held by Swaka and Cirillo be
frozen.
Swaka was described in the letter as a former SPLA officer and
fugitive in Kenya who stole more than $10 million. In his resignation,
Swaka accused President Salva Kiir and SPLA leaders of abuses and
pushing the tribal agenda in the country.
=================================================== ORIGINAL ARTICLE
BY THE STAR NEWSPAPER, NAIROBI, KENYA
South Sudan traces missing Sh1.03 billion to Kenyan banks
Feb. 21, 2017, 9:00 am
By MAURICE ALAL, @alalmaurice, The Star, Nairobi, Kenya.
The South Sudanese government has reported tracing its missing Sh1.03
billion to accounts at Ecobank, Kenya Commercial Bank and Co-operative
Bank of Kenya.
These are linked to Lt Gen Thomas Cirillo Swaka – former SPLA Deputy
Chief of Staff in charge of logistics, and his kin Fueni Cirillo.
Cirillo is reportedly a Human Resource Managament student at Mount
Kenya University. But MKU has denied she is a student there. No
further details were provided about her.
An Ecobank statement seen by the Star shows transactions on the money
after it was reported missing from the South Sudan government this
month.
These were for account 0040025032685901 belonging to Fueni.
Paul Awan, chief of general staff, said the cash went missing after
Swaka quit his job and defected from Sudan People’s Liberation Army.
A letter dated February 9 shows that Awan asked Renish Omullo, a
special envoy in charge of Germany international and regional affairs,
to trace and return the cash which was transacted in US dollars.
Read: Kenyan woman appointed special envoy for South Sudan in Germany
Renish wrote to Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed on
February 10 requesting that bank accounts held by Swaka and Cirillo be
frozen.
Swaka is described in the letter, also seen by the Star, as a former
SPLA officer and fugitive in Kenya who stole more than $10 million.
“This office is under instructions from the Office of the President,
Government of South Sudan to kindly request you to facilitate a freeze
of these accounts and recover the money back to Bank of South Sudan
A/C name – Military Strategic Division; A/C no – (USD) 0026921002607,”
Renish says in her letter.
“However this letter has not gone through our embassy in Nairobi
because of the sensitivity of the matter and conflict of interest at
the embassy.”
Renish said the money had already been secured and would be rerouted
back to South Sudan.
Reached for comment, Ecobank said in a statement: “We do not have such
an account, neither do we have an official request on the same.”
Co-operative Bank and KCB were not immediately available for comment
while officials at the Foreign Affairs ministry referred the Star to
the Interior ministry.
In his resignation, Gen Swaka accused President Salva Kiir and SPLA
leaders of abuses and pushing the tribal agenda in the country.
He becomes the second highest-ranking officer to resign after Gen
Bapiny Monytuil since clashes erupted between government soldiers and
opposition fighters in July 2016.
Read: How ‘false’ Facebook post caused death of 272 in South Sudan
A report revealed in September last year that South Sudan’s political
and military elite had siphoned money from their country and bought
expensive assets in Nairobi and other capitals within East Africa.
Among the many details outlined in the report are pictures of luxury
villas, said to be owned by politicians and generals in Kenya, Uganda,
Ethiopia and Australia.
Read The Sentry’s investigative report: War crimes shouldn’t pay:
Stopping the looting and destruction in South Sudan
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