Kamlesh Pattni, once Kenya’s most infamous economic villain, has resurfaced with fresh schemes that continue to reverberate across Africa. From the explosive Goldenberg scandal in the 1990s where he was accused of defrauding Kenya of over $600 million to recent allegations of running a gold smuggling empire in Zimbabwe, Pattni’s notoriety has only evolved with time.
At 25, Pattni was at the heart of Kenya’s largest economic scandal, exploiting loopholes in export compensation schemes to siphon billions, abetted by top government officials. His courtroom appearances, marked by flamboyance and charm, turned him into a bizarre celebrity figure even as he stood accused of crippling the nation’s economy.
Despite being cleared of all charges, Pattni did not fade away. Instead, he reinvented himself as a preacher, calling himself “Brother Paul.” That phase fizzled, but his ambition endured. His name resurfaced last year in Al Jazeera’s Gold Mafia exposé, revealing a sophisticated money-laundering and gold smuggling network operating out of Zimbabwe, with alleged ties to President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The exposé prompted U.S. and U.K. sanctions on Pattni and his associates. Yet, undeterred, Pattni recently inked a deal with Niger’s military government through his Dubai-based firm, Suvarna Royal Gold Trading LLC. The agreement promises a gold refinery, jewellery plant, and gemstone hub in Niamey a venture hailed by Niger’s Minister of Mines as “historic.”
But history may be repeating itself.
Pattni, with his polished deceit and golden promises, has wormed into yet another government’s favour. His track record is a glaring warning: wherever he goes, public coffers empty while his fortune swells. Niger may have unwittingly welcomed a fox into the mineral henhouse.
As long as African nations remain lured by glitzy investments and fail to scrutinise their partners, Pattni’s empire of deceit will thrive. His presence is less a revival than a reminder that in the world of gold and power, old ghosts never die. They simply change their disguises.
