David Hotte - Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy?

It’s rather too easy to get carried away with conspiracy theories whenever the subject of spying, intelligence and national security are associated with a story but there’s something not quite adding up in the case of French citizen and EU official, one David Hotte, and his deportation from Kenya in February.

Star Expose

Kudos to Kenya’s Star newspaper which broke the exclusive story in early July under the headline State deported EU official for Kenya ‘wash wash’ grey listing followed a few days later with a further report ‘Government says deported EU official is a spy, working against the country‘.

Then, and in the meantime, pretty much not a report in any Kenyan media outlet, be it print media, online, TV or radio. Very hush hush it seems.

David Hotte – Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy?

So, who is David Hotte, what really happened and what does it all mean or add up to?
David Hotte is a French national and ‘team leader of the EU Global Facility on Anti-money Laundering and Terrorism Financing’ that provides ‘technical assistance to strengthen their anti-money laundering and counter terrorism financing.’

For a man who according to one report (written before Hotte’s deportation) has been an expert in the subject of money laundering and terrorism financing for 25 years, there’s not much out there about the man: an article in The Standard nine tears ago; another in The East African in 2018; a couple of pieces in ‘Expertise France’ – 2019 and 2021; and a report in the Business Daily in 2020.

Kenya ‘Grey listed’

In mid-February Kenya was ‘grey listed’ as a ‘wash wash paradise’ by the Financial Action Task Force, with whom, according to The Star, Mr Hotte worked closely. Kenya is now ‘under high watch for lacking strong safeguards against the flow of dirty money’.

A grey listing brings with it concomitant consequences to the reputation of Kenya, its institutions and citizens, possibly increasing transaction costs and ‘threatening deals and business relationships’ (The Stars words).

Hotte arrested

On the 24th February David Hotte entered Kenya, the Kenya Forum is assuming entry via Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) but that part of the story is as yet no clear. What is clear is that on the following day, the 25th, Hotte was arrested at Wilson Airport en route to Verpingo.

After 12 hours in detention in a cell, with no food or water, and without access to French consular help, Hotte and was put on flight KL 556 to Amsterdam.

French embassy anger

Understandably the French Embassy in Nairobi were not happy and protested to Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

French Ambassador Arnaud Sequet had gone to JKIA after David Hotte’s call (again it is unclear as to how the French Embassy heard of Hotte’s plight) but was denied access and was unable to communicate with to the French national.

Quoted in The Star, the French Ambassador, wrote:

‘The Embassy of France wishes to express its deepest concerns regarding the manner in which Hotte was treated in the course of his mission which is not in line with the spirit of partnership that prevails between the EU and Kenya…

The Embassy of France wishes to also stress that it was neither informed of the arrest, detention and deportation of Hotte from Kenya in disrespect of Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.’

Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded that Hotte had been deported over “national security grounds.”

David Hotte a spy?

That was then. A few days after it’s initial report The Star went public with a new twist in story stating that David Hotte had been expelled because he was an undercover spy who was ‘undermining the country’s national security’.

The Star said, and the Kenya Forum has no reason to disbelieve it, that it had obtained a brief claiming that Hotte was on a mission to ‘secretly recruit senior security officers and top government bureaucrats with the aim of infiltrating government.’

Hotte ‘former French military intelligence officer’

According to what the The Star referred to as ‘a new dossier’, David Hotte was ‘a former French military intelligence officer who has long pretended to be a friend of Kenya.’

It was also alleged that ‘Hotte operates at least four different passports’ and had ‘dodged immigration systems by flying to Kenya on a different passport’.

French embassy officials said David Hotte is a diplomat.

What is the truth?

So, was David Hotte deported from Kenya because of his work monitoring money laundering?

Were the Kenyan authorities acting in a fit of pique because Kenya had been criticized and ‘grey listed’ over money laundering?

Had Hotte got too close to the money launderers?

Or is David Hotte a spy?

If Hotte is a spy, who was he spying for? The French? The EU?

And why the seeming media blackout?