Court Orders Seizure of 4 Vehicles in Suspected Money Laundering Case

Court Orders Seizure of 4 Vehicles in Suspected Money Laundering Case

NAIROBI, Kenya – The High Court has ordered the seizure and preservation of four vehicles linked to a suspected proceeds of crime and money laundering investigation.

The orders were issued by the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Division of the High Court in Nairobi following an application by the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA).

The preservation orders restrict the owners or persons in possession of the vehicles from selling, transferring, disposing of, or placing any encumbrance on them while the case proceeds.

The vehicles listed in the court order are a Mercedes-Benz C180, Toyota Corolla Axio, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Nissan Dayz.

The court further directed that the logbooks or registration certificates for the four vehicles be surrendered to the ARA within seven days after the order is served.

“An order be and is hereby issued directing or compelling the Respondents to surrender or hand over the log books or registration certificates issued in respect of the motor vehicles listed in the order to the Agency Director General or such officer as the Agency Director General may nominate within seven days of service of this order.”

The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) was also directed to place caveats on the respective vehicle records.

The caveats prevent transactions involving the vehicles through the official registration system while the preservation orders remain in force.

This means the vehicles cannot be freely transferred or registered in another person’s name without lawful authority.

ARA Given Control of Vehicles

The court appointed the Director General of the Assets Recovery Agency as the manager of the vehicles.

The appointment gives the agency authority to take control of the vehicles and oversee their storage, maintenance and administration as the legal proceedings continue.

Police officers were separately authorised to seize the vehicles and hand them over to the ARA for safekeeping.

The orders were issued under the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act (POCAMLA), which allows courts to preserve property suspected of being connected to proceeds of crime while recovery proceedings are being pursued.

The case was certified as urgent after the ARA filed an Originating Motion dated July 28, 2026, accompanied by a Certificate of Urgency.

The initial application was heard ex parte, meaning the court considered the request before the affected parties had an opportunity to respond.

Vehicles Frozen as Case Continues

The preservation orders effectively freeze the four vehicles pending further proceedings.

Their owners or other persons dealing with the vehicles are prohibited from taking actions that could defeat the court’s orders.

The order also contains a penal notice warning that failure to comply could result in contempt of court proceedings.

However, the seizure and preservation of the vehicles does not amount to a final determination that they are proceeds of crime.

It also does not mean that any individual associated with the vehicles has been convicted of money laundering.

Instead, preservation orders are designed to protect assets from being sold, transferred or otherwise disposed of while investigators and the court establish whether the property is connected to unlawful activities.

The affected parties will have an opportunity to respond to the allegations as the matter progresses through the courts.

The latest case highlights the role of the Assets Recovery Agency in tracing and preserving property suspected to have been acquired through criminal activities.

Further court proceedings will determine whether the four vehicles should ultimately be forfeited to the state or released to their owners, depending on the evidence presented and the court’s final determination.

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Court Orders Seizure of 4 Vehicles in Suspected Money Laundering Case