NAIROBI, Kenya Oct 3 – Victims of the First Choice Recruitment and Consultancy Agency’s fake job racket will have to wait longer to receive their compensation after the company was linked to money laundering which will take time to unravel.
The company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Judy Jepchirchir has been linked to money laundering scheme charges to conceal his ill-gotten wealth in a fake job racket.
The Assets and Recovery Agency revealed that the consultancy operated seven accounts domiciled in five different banks.
Between February 2020 and May 2023, the accounts received Sh300 million with majority of the funds withdrawn in cash below the reporting threshold which has been linked to money laundering scheme.
“Our preliminary investigations point to the fact that Ms Judy Jepchirchir and her accomplices have registered their suspected criminal properties with proxies and so far, the agency has identified some of the third parties who are being profiled,” stated the Assets and Recovery Agency Management Director Timothy Nderitu.
In the preliminary investigations conducted by the Agency, Jepchirchir who is the main suspect is associated with 11 companies where she is either a co-director or bank account signatory.
Seven suspects are actively being investigated with 27 bank accounts belonging to them currently being analyzed to trace the money flow.
“Majority of the accounts have zero balances while the rest have negligible balances despite the accounts having transacted huge sums of monies during the period of interest to our investigations,” Nderitu stated.
Despite the recovery agency obtaining information of 1200 victims who were defrauded the receipts issued to them have no linkage to First Choice Recruitment agency which may be a stumbling block to the investigation.
“Unfortunately, majority receipts do not bear the company’s letter head or the official stamp.”
Four properties spread across Nairobi, Eldoret and Machakos as well as 21 motor vehicles registered under the names of the key suspects have been earmarked wit efforts ongoing to establish more properties.
“Noteworthy, establishment of their casual connection with the fraud is at advanced stage and in order not to jeopardize the investigations we will not mention the names.”
In a report by Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare,it directed the recruitment agency to refund Ksh.1 billion that allegedly defrauded thousands of youth Uasin Gishu county.
The committee demanded property owned by the company’s directors, Jepchirchir and Faith Wariga, repossessed by the Assets and Recovery Agency if they do not refund the said amount to the over 8,000 youth.
The Petitioners in their petition had stated that the First Choice Recruitment and Consultancy Agency obtained money from estimated 500 youth to facilitate them with jobs and studies placement abroad before the start of the 2022 world cup.
The agency failed to facilitate the placements leaving the youth and their families wallowing in abject poverty having committed all their monies to the agency hoping to secure education and employment chances.
Source: capitalfm
