NAIROBI, Aug 27, 2006 (AFP) - Police have arrested a Zambian national who attempted to swindle thousands of dollars from a Kenyan sports minister by posing as a distressed son of the International Association of Athletics Federations chief, police officials said Sunday.
They said minister Maina Kamanda got a call from Monaco from a man claiming to be IAAF chief Lamine Diack, who requested that the minister urgently assist his son with 4,000 euros (5,100 dollars) after he was carjacked in the Indian Ocean city of Mombasa and robbed of everything.
It sounded that I was speaking to the real man. I had no doubt that I was talking to the president of IAAF,'' Kamanda said of the incident that occured on Friday. I was ready by the way and I even alerted my bank to see if they can lend me the 4,000 euros,’’ he added.
Kamanda said he telephoned the IAAF chief to ask whether he could offer any other help, only for Diack to deny knowledge of any hijacking in the east African nation.
``I then alerted the police and called the man to come for the money. He was promptly arrested,’’ Kamanda told a press conference at a Nairobi police station, where the alleged impostor Nelson Banda was being held.
Kenyan police said they would charge Banda with attempting to defraud a minister although they were further probing him to establish whether he is part of an international ring of conmen.
Officials said several conmen have been swindling funds using the name of IAAF officials, notably across nations that perfome well in international track and field events.