Kenyan paper says Armenian brothers “seriously compromised” country’s
security

The Standard website, Nairobi
10 Jun 06

Text of editorial entitled “Expulsion isn’t all; explain this saga”
published by Kenyan newspaper The Standard website on 10 June June 8
will be remembered as the day foreigners intoxicated with impunity
tried to put our national security agents to shame – and failed. That
night, foreigners who had hitherto strutted the length and breath of
our country with incomprehensible arrogance assaulted at least one
security agent and drew guns at others at the Jomo Kenyatta
International Airport – a restricted security area – thereby
triggering a terror alert.

The notorious foreigners of dubious origin claiming to be brothers and
investors from Armenia – Artur Margaryan and Artur Sagarsyan – have
many times asserted that no force in the land can touch them, at least
twice dared our police commissioner to visit their residence and face
unspecified consequences and once asked our internal security minister
to shut up.

All this time, nothing was done to them even as senior politicians,
led by LDP [Liberal Democratic Party] leader Raila Odinga, claimed
that they were mercenaries on hire. This paper even carried a page one
comment urging action on the foreigners for asking our minister to
shut up.

Shockingly though, that minister defended the foreigners in parliament
where he said it was not his responsibility to act against investors
merely demanding their money back from their debtors. While
appreciating that someone has finally acted on the Armenian menace, we
wish to emphasise that their deportation is not enough to put the
matter to rest.

First, as we report elsewhere, the foreigners had been issued with VIP
government passes giving them access to all areas of all our
airports. What was the compelling reason for the government to issue
such passes to these two foreigners?

Second, after the government-sponsored raid against the Standard Group
in March, Raila claimed that the two foreigners led the illegal raid
in which the entire raid crew was hooded. The government has failed to
explain why official security agents had to wear hoods.

That notwithstanding, part of the arsenal police recovered at the
residence of the foreigners yesterday morning were balaclavas similar
to the ones the raiders wore. Is this a coincidence or is there a link
the government needs to explain?

Third, the deportation of the foreigners before standing trial in
Kenyan courts raises a lot of questions. The foreigners had valid
permits to live and work in Kenya subject to our laws. Is the
government trying to hide something by hurrying to deport them without
trial?

Fourth, the manner in which this whole saga was handled from the start
stinks to high heaven: Government officials contradicted each other,
and often themselves, over such minor details as the nationality of
the foreigners; the exact nature of their business here has been kept
secret; and the foreigners’ registered business partners remain
tight-lipped on what their business partnerships entail. Who was
protecting these foreigners? And what does that say about the people
tasked with guarding our internal and national security?

Our position is that the country’s national security has been
seriously compromised. For a modicum of confidence in it to be
restored, the government – specifically President Mwai Kibaki – must
immediately replace those tasked with its management beginning with Mr
John Njoroge Michuki, the internal security minister, if Michuki
himself fails to see it fit to resign.