Foreigner charged in court over fake gold scam

Detectives from the Kenya Airport Police Unit (Formation Criminal Investigations Officer – KAPU) at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport have arraigned a suspected gold scammer, Jean Emmanuel Morlon, also known as Lamarca J. Benjamin.

Morlon had been in custody following a 12-day custodial order obtained on February 4, 2025, which allowed detectives to complete their probe.

The suspect is implicated in a gold scam that left two businessmen, a Romanian national and a Swiss national seeking justice after losing USD 120,000 to the fraudster.

Upon his arraignment, the DCI-FCIO team pressed multiple charges against Jean Emmanuel Morlon including Obtaining Money by False Pretenses, Possession of a Firearm Without a Firearm Certificate, Possession of Ammunition Without a Firearm Certificate, Creating a False Document, and Forgery of an Official Document.

Morlon pleaded not guilty to all charges before the Senior Principal Magistrate’s Court No. 1 at the JKIA Law Court.

The investigating team objected to his release on bail, citing concerns that he could be a flight risk.

Consequently, he was remanded at Industrial Area Remand Prison. The case is scheduled for a mention on March 3, 2025.