A Milimani Law Courts has sentenced the mastermind behind a fake tantalum minerals scam to three years in prison or, in the alternative, a fine of Sh10 million, and further ordered him to refund Sh151 million to a Chinese investor.

In a judgment delivered on Tuesday, the court found Ulundu Patrick Lumumba, also known as Gabriel Kulonda and Lumumba Patrick Byarufu, guilty of obtaining money by false pretences contrary to Section 313 of the Penal Code.

The case brings to a close a transnational fraud scheme involving the fraudulent shipment of mineral consignments disguised as tantalum, a highly sought-after mineral.

According to investigators, Lumumba was arrested by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (Directorate of Criminal Investigations) Operations Support Unit on April 5, 2024, shortly after arriving in Nairobi from Entebbe, Uganda.

Authorities said he had attempted to re-enter Kenya despite a stop order on one of his travel documents, using alternative identification papers and multiple aliases.

Investigations revealed that the suspect orchestrated a scheme in which shipping containers filled with sand were falsely declared as tantalum mineral consignments. One of the containers was reportedly opened abroad, revealing drums of sand instead of minerals, leading to losses of Sh151 million for a Chinese investor.

Further investigations at the Port of Mombasa uncovered additional containers similarly packed with sand and fraudulently labelled as mineral exports, exposing what authorities described as a coordinated cross-border criminal network.

The court said the sentencing marks the conclusion of a detailed investigation and reaffirmed the judiciary’s commitment to combating financial fraud and protecting investors from transnational criminal schemes.

The accused will serve the prison term unless he opts to pay the Sh10 million fine, in addition to the restitution order of Sh151 million.