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| Africa North |
| Bank caught in piracy cash row |
| 2010-11-18 |
| [Daily Nation (Kenya)] A local bank has been stopped from transferring its client's funds, which was to act as compensation for ransom paid to Somali pirates. Diamond Trust Bank Kenya was ordered not to release Sh8,168,880 ($102,111) to three Singapore registered companies, after the client, Abson Motors, claimed the money was being demanded to abet the crime of piracy. Abson Motors, among other importers, had imported cargo from Singapore, but the ship contracted to deliver the consignment was allegedly hijacked by pirates and its owners, Pacific International Lines PTE Ltd, were compelled to pay a ransom of Sh240 million ($3.3 million) to secure the release of the vessel, her cargo and crew. Other expenses that came with the payment of ransom were negotiators' and lawyers' fees. The importer, through the firm of Kinyua Muyaa, is now under duress to agree to have the funds referred to as 'general average' released to Habib Bank in Singapore, after which they will be remitted to Marine Claims office of Asia, which negotiated with the pirates. However, The infamous However... the importer says it was not informed of the alleged seizure of mv Kota Wajar, and only came to learn about the incident in January after it had been released. For that reason, Mombasa judge Jackton Ojwang' was told that it would be inappropriate to compel the importer to pay the cash to third parties since it has not been established that the Sh240 million was paid to the pirates. Further, piracy is an offence both under the Kenyan Merchant Shipping Act and the Singapore Penal code. It is also an offence under the 1988 Rome Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the safety of Maritime Navigation, to which Kenya is a signatory. The case will be mentioned on December 7, 2010. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 I'll second that suggestion. |
| Posted by: Hellfish 2010-11-18 12:12 |
| #1 I have a permanent solution to these Pirates. When delivering Ransom money, I consider it a good idea to first dust the bills with Smallpox or anthrax Or both,(Or better, some quick acting secret Military grade poison) then seal in a plastic bag and deliver as usual, then only the people who touch the bills get dead (Plus their Immediate Handlers), and good riddance. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2010-11-18 10:54 |