By Tajeu Shadrack Nkapapa
Detectives from the Kenya Airport Police Unit (Formation Criminal Investigations Officer – KAPU) at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport have presented a suspected gold fraudster, Jean Emmanuel Morlon, who is also referred to as Lamarca J. Benjamin, in court.
Morlon had been held in custody under a 12-day custodial order issued on February 4, 2025, which permitted the detectives to finalize their investigation.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the suspect is implicated in a gold scam that left two businessmen, a Romanian national and a Swiss national seeking justice after losing USD 120,000 to the fraudster.
“Upon his arraignment, the DCI-FCIO team pressed multiple charges against Jean Emmanuel Morlon including Obtaining Money by False Pretenses, Possession of a Firearm without a Firearm Certificate, Possession of Ammunition without a Firearm Certificate, Creating a False Document, and Forgery of an Official Document,” the DCI said on an X post.
“Morlon pleaded not guilty to all charges before the Senior Principal Magistrate’s Court No. 1 at the JKIA Law Court,” the DCI said.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has indicated that the investigative team opposed his bail release, expressing concerns regarding the possibility of him fleeing. As a result, he has been detained at the Industrial Area Remand Prison.
The case is set for a mention on March 3, 2025.