Court acquits 40 Chinese, Taiwanese nationals arrested in 2014

A Nairobi court has acquitted forty Chinese nationals arrested and charged with running unlicensed telecommunications systems.

Magistrate Joyce Ngandani ruled that the prosecution failed to prove its case against the 40 suspects.  She, however, directed that the 35 Chinese and 5 Taiwanese foreigners be repatriated to their respective countries.

The 40 were arrested in November 2014 in Runda estate, Nairobi County.

Early this year, 37 Chinese nationals who were arrested in 2014 on suspicion of engaging in illegal cyber operations, were also set free by the court on similar grounds.

The group of illegal immigrants was apprehended on December 3, 2014 at a house in Runda and charged with operating a cyber-command centre, which the police suspected, was for hacking Kenya’s financial and communication systems.

Police officers made the discovery of the sophisticated telecommunication equipment after a fire broke out in their Runda house killing one of the foreigners.