How Victoria Commercial Bank Aided Money Laundering, Tax Evasion in Mumias Sugar Saga

How Victoria Commercial Bank Aided Money Laundering, Tax Evasion in Mumias Sugar Saga

Mumias Sugar company [Photo/Courtesy] The future of troubled Mumias Sugar Company hangs in the balance with numerous legal battles challenging its leasing to a private entity. Amid the protracted dispute over the miller’s take over, money laundering and tax evasion allegations have surfaced, further revealing intrigues behind attempts by various firms to control assets of the once-popular giant sugar firm.

In documents seen by Kahawa Tungu , Victoria Commercial Bank is alleged to have been involved in money laundering in the Mumias Sugar saga.

Mumias was placed under receivership by the Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) in 2019 to protect its assets and maintain operations.

The miller owes KCB and several other creditors over Ksh29 billion.

KCB placed the miller under the hands of Ponangipalli Ramana Rao in a resuscitation plan.

Documents in our possession show how some of the Mumias assets that had secured loans from Eco Bank and French Development Agency Proparco shifted from the two banks to Victoria Commercial Bank in a suspicious transaction that has raised eyebrows.

The two assets, co-generation plant and Ethanol valued at Ksh1.9 billion and Ksh4 billion respectively, later ended up with Dubai-based firm Vartox Resources Inc.

In transferring the assets, the parties ignored an inter-lenders agreement signed on September 27, 2010.

The deal details exclusion of the two syndicated assets from the existing lender security.

The agreement required each lender to notify other parties of ‘any modification, termination, amendment and transfer of any security.’

Other lenders in the deal included Barclays Bank and Stanbic Bank.“If any lender wished to discharge its security it will notify the other lenders prior to affecting the discharge…Consultation notice to be issued to all lenders for a period of 10 working days,” the agreement reads.Contrary to the agreement, however, Proparco and Ecobank went ahead to assign their right to Victoria Commercial Bank on October 4, 2021, without notice to KCB, Barclays Bank or Stanbic.Interestingly, the transactions happened when the receiver-manager was engaged in the leasing process for the survival of the sugar firm.Besides the investment of Victoria Commercial Bank in Nonperforming Asset Definition (NPA) contravening the Banking Act, the source of money to pay Proparco and Ecobank also raises questions.The lease rental would also give more than their consideration value, a move seen by experts as an act to avoid Corporation Tax.How Victoria Commercial Bank, which is one of the smallest banks in the country, acquired assets of USD 45 million and Ksh800 million is also […]

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