A Nigerian identified as Bala Muazu has been arrested at the Jomo Kenyatta Airport with thousands of dollars and Euro stashed inside his luggage.
Kenyan officials said the bag contained $ 880,000 , 63,000 Nigerian Naira and 60,000 euros
Bala was nabbed while transiting to board another flight to Dubai, regarded as the money laundering capital of the world.
He arrived Nairobi on a Kenya Airways flight from Lagos on 4 December.
Kenya’s Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) seized the cash which was handed to airport authorities for safekeeping after the suspect failed to provide documents that allowed him to carry such a huge amount of money.
The agency suspected him to be a money launderer as Section 12 (1) of the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act requires a person to declare any amount above $10,000 (Ksh 1 million).
Detectives argued that he could have transferred money to banks in the Middle East rather than travelling with cash.
However, Bala claimed the money was for legitimate business.