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KCB denies facilitating money laundering

Author : | Published: September 14, 2016

The Kenya Commercial Bank, KCB, says it remains committed to safeguarding the confidentiality of its customer information, despite revelations by The Sentry report of cases of money laundering among its clients.

The CEO and Managing Director of KCB Group, Joshua Oigara, says, in a statement, they have taken note of the recently published report by The Sentry on South Sudan that makes reference to the Bank.

He says KCB is required in the respective banking laws across their markets to protect the identity of its clients.

“We advise that KCB being a regulated entity deploys global standards applicable to Anti- Money Laundering guidelines and Know-Your-Customer requirements provided by the regulators in all the countries of our operations,” partly read the statement.

“KCB South Sudan continues to work closely with the Government of South Sudan and the Bank of South Sudan with regards to resolutions on UN Security Council Sanction List 2206. The Bank remains committed to safeguarding the confidentiality of customer information as required in the respective banking laws across our markets.”

It added that KCB -South Sudan is working closely with the Government of South Sudan and the Bank of South Sudan with regards to resolutions on UN Security Council Sanction List 2206.

The Sentry report suggested that over 3 million US dollars was moved through the personal bank account of SPLA General Malek Reuben Riak between January 2012 and early 2016.

The US dollar-denominated account at the KCB shows transactions recorded includes more than 700,000 US dollars in cash deposits.

The report also says there were also large payments from several international construction companies operating in South Sudan, and 1.16 million U.S dollars was withdrawn from such account over a four-year period.

The report dubbed – ‘War Crimes Shouldn’t Pay’- was commissioned by actor George Clooney and John Prendergast, The Sentry’s co-founders.

The government says it will sue The Sentry for defamation.

President Salva Kiir’s spokesperson, Ateny Wek told Aljazeera Television yesterday that a lawyer would be hired to take the case to court.

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