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{
    "id": 1032171,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1032171/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 80,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Igembe North, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Maoka Maore",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13344,
        "legal_name": "Richard Maore Maoka",
        "slug": "richard-maore-maoka"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker. The issue of money laundering and stashing of funds abroad has been a thorny issue. It has been a problem in most of the third world countries. When the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning delves into the matter, it is important to note that it is not only the public servants, State officers or public officers who are complicit in this activity. Now that Kenya has the mutual legal assistance with key havens for money, specifically Switzerland and the United Kingdom (UK), it gives us a lot of leverage to access those funds and repatriate them. As we keep on talking about Europe, there are other havens that have emerged, specifically the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Seychelles and Mauritius. A lot of our money is ending up there and doing serious investments for those countries because it is hidden money and not many people will be able to use it in any other way. When we ask for Kenyans not to have accounts abroad, it does not mean that we stop them from doing business. There are people doing legitimate business, let us say for exports and those who do business abroad. Those are not prohibited from having foreign accounts. I only urge that we speed up the inquiry and also streamline the activity. Hon. Speaker, for many years, the Kenya Government has been very hostile to signing the mutual legal assistance. For the first time in our history, we have a Government that has assented to the idea of signing the mutual legal assistance with foreign entities, so that money can be returned. I can give a quick example. When we were pursuing the Aglo-Leasing funds and some other transactions, the British High Commission was very keen to plead with the EACC and the Attorney-General to sign the mutual legal assistance. The two offices were at serious loggerheads against the idea of signing the mutual legal assistance. Now that we have it, let us see action. Even this Petition would not be of much story if somebody used the mutual legal assistance already signed, to repatriate the monies stashed abroad specifically in the UK, the United States of America and Switzerland. So, let us move with the laws that we have. Let the Committee shed some light on what has been happening. I thank you."
}