UPDATED: API’s Chief Editor Sammy Korir’s shady past and present, scams and hoaxes

UPDATE: For the latest update see HERE

UPDATE:  Please see below for the “education” page at API along with a link to the Rainbow Foundation.  The ISP’s for both are virtually identical and trace back to the same network and location. Please check back periodically as the research is a work in progress.

Now that the deadline given by Korir of API for the airing of the Michelle Obama tape has come and gone, Korir and his group of insiders have disappeared from the sight.

What Korir’s motive was for this elaborate and drawn out hoax is unknown. I wonder if the insider group was in on it or if they are now kicking themselves for divulging their phone numbers to Korir.

As many of you know the hoax started out with a post on API stating that they had a tape of a phone call from Michelle Obama in which she admits her husband was adopted. There were subsequent posts claiming that API was being represented by Phil Berg and a Canadian lawyer; claims that the Obama campaign offered $3 million for the tape; Korir had talked to CIA; Korir talked to the American Embassy in Oslo, etc. etc. etc.

In the final installment of the hoax, Korir included the following:

Built in cover for when Fox denies dealing with API:

Many have been wondering about what will happen to the Michelle Obama tape, now that API has received death threats for planning to have the tape aired. Death threats mounted after API refused an offer of 3 million US dollars by Senator Obama’s Campaign manager.

There has been speculations that Fox News may deny that there is an agreement already reached that gives the them permission to air the tape. The public who are aware of the existence of a tape should be aware that some elements in our society would not like the message in the tape to come out.

The agreement stipulates that any information on the day and hour the tape will be aired will only be announce 15 minutes to the airing time. This was agreed upon to avoid any pressure being directed to Fox News Network by individuals who would want to get the details about the tape in question.

Built in reason for disappearing for awhile:

Now that the situation has become so dangerous because some people are afraid to let the American people know the truth about Michelle Obama’s stand exhibited by her in the tape, API will thread [sic] carefully and will classify details on what is going on, especially details on when the API representative will fly to New York, which flight and where he will be housed while in the US. This will be done to avoid exposing him to any danger while on US soil

As I posted here a day or so ago, this is not the first time Korir has engaged in a hoax report. Here is the information on his earlier hoax:

Rwandan war criminal reportedly in Oslo

The man who’s charged with financing genocide in Rwanda is reportedly hiding out in Oslo, and may want to turn himself in.

An arrest warrant was issued for Felicien Kabuga in 1999.

Felicien Kabuga, a wealthy Rwandan businessman who’s been on the run for 14 years, reportedly drove over the border from Sweden two months ago and has been staying with another man from Rwanda in a flat in Oslo.

The editor of Norwegian-based African Press International (API) told a Kenyan newspaper that he had interviewed Kabuga in an Oslo hotel room. Editor Sammy Kipterer Korir told newspaper Sunday Nation that he’d been invited to the hotel room by a friend from Sudan.

Korir didn’t respond to inquiries from Aftenposten.

API reported that Kabuga, now age 72, wanted to return to Rwanda before his health deteriorates. He reportedly said he would seek asylum in Norway if the Rwandan authorities refuse to negotiate with him.

Rwandan authorities have rejected negotiations with the alleged war criminal. A United Nations tribunal issued a warrant for Kabuga’s arrest in 1999. Diplomats and tribunal officials reportedly have dismissed Korir’s report of meeting Kabuga as a hoax. SOURCE

While doing further research I found another article concerning Korir that was just posted today…you have to have an account to get into the Lexis Database so I cannot supply a link to the original but I supply a link to the following two articles at the end of the 2nd article.

African Press International Editor Wanted in Kenya in 1987
Lexus Database | AUGUST 27, 1987 | The Xinhua General Overseas News Service
Posted on Thursday, October 30, 2008 11:49:08 AM by SBD1
kenya asks norway not to believe cheating envoy
The Xinhua General Overseas News Service AUGUST 27, 1987, THURSDAY
The Xinhua General Overseas News Service
AUGUST 27, 1987, THURSDAY
LENGTH: 272 words
HEADLINE: kenya asks norway not to believe cheating envoy
DATELINE: nairobi, august 27; ITEM NO: 0827012
BODY:

the kenyan government today disowned a self-appointed “diplomat” named sammy korir who has been appearing on the norwegian television, claiming himself as a spokesman of the kenyan government in norway. a statement issued here by the kenyan foreign ministry today said that “mr. korir is a wanted criminal in kenya to answer fraud charges, and whatever he is doing in norway has nothing to do with the kenyan government.”

the statement asked the norwegian people to ignore the escaped criminal and be very careful in dealing with him. korir, a former district officer for the makadara division in nairobi, was recently reported to have called three press conferences and a television interview in oslo, presenting himself as a personal envoy of kenyan president daniel arap moi. he told the media there that kenya would break diplomatic relations with sweden and norway because of bad press reports on the human right situation in kenya. although korir’s representation has been officially disowned, the kenyan government has recently expressed its dissatisfaction with the press in sweden and norway for reporting alleged “human right violations” in kenya in the past two years. three days ago, permanent secretary of the kenyan foreign ministry bethwel kiplagat said that the swedish press, with the “tacit connivance of the government has written several negative stories on kenya and most of them are inaccurate, malicious and biased.” kenyan president daniel arap moi has cancelled scheduled state visits next month to norway and sweden because of “the unfriendly behavior of the two governments,” mr. kiplagat said.

In addition I found this as well:

BBC Summary of World Broadcasts
August 29, 1987, Saturday
SECTION: Part 4 The Middle East, Africa and Latin America; B. AFRICA ; ME/8659/B/1;
LENGTH: 271 words
HEADLINE: East Africa: In Brief;
Kenya: Foreign Ministry statement on ”self-appointed diplomat”
SOURCE: Excerpts KNA in English 1205 gmt 27 Aug 87
BODY: Nairobi, 27th August: The following is a full text from the Press Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

The controversial self-appointed ”diplomat” Sammy Korir has presented himself as President Moi’s personal envoy in Norway for several years, reports Norwegian newspaper ‘Aftenposten’. Mr Korir has a flair for using other titles as Under-Secretary of State (Assistant Minister), General Manager and Corporate Vice-President. He has been charged with fraud in Norway on several occasions.

In 1980-81 Mr Korir was charged with grand embezzlement but the case was dropped when evidence got burnt in the office. Mr Korir reported that the cause of fire was a copying machine which had exploded. County official, Mr Sverre Oppdahl, in Karasjok reports that there were other reports against Mr Korir concerning money frauds.

Mr Korir is a former district officer for Makadara division in Nairobi. He left the civil service to become the director of the deregistered Kenya Private Education Services which operated along Kenyatta Avenue. He collected money from poor Kenya students promising to send them to overseas for further studies but instead he embezzled the funds. He was arrested and charged in a court of law for stealing 3,000 shillings belonging to the students. He jumped bail and fled to Oslo, Norway. The government would like to state quite clearly that whatever Mr Korir is doing in Norway has nothing to do with the Kenya government. Mr Korir knows pretty well that he is a wanted criminal in Kenya to answer fraud charges. The people of Norway must be very careful in dealing with him.

(Above 2 articles found HERE

I have been asked if I’m sure this is the same person as Korir on API…well, yes I am. Check out the Education page at API:
PDF File
Click on screenshot below for full size view:

Note the link to Rainbow Foundation and note the mention of Rainbow Foundation below.

I clicked on the Rainbow Foundation link on the above page (see screenshot) and guess what I found.  The ISP is almost identical to API’s and traces back to the same network and location.  And guess which blog shows up on Rainbow Foundation’s blogroll?  Yep, you guessed it, AFRICAN PRESS INTERNATIONAL:

Click Image above for full size view.

And what Rainbow Foundation page would be complete without a DONATION page:

Click image for full size view.

And just where does Rainbow Foundation have projects?  Well, none other than Kenya, Uganda, Brazil, Norway and Zambia:

Click on image for full size view.

*****IN ADDITION THE EMAIL ADDRESS FOR RAINBOW FOUNDATION AND THE EMAIL ADDRESSES AT API REGISTER TO THE EXACT SAME ISP ADDRESS IN NORWAY.*****

Here is another screenshot of Sammy Korir’s membership in IRE:

And here is the good Christian looking for investors in his bar:

And that isn’t the extent of Korir’s scams:

A charlatan: Sammy Korir is the same as the man who Supreme Court – based on current hyesterettsjustitiarius Brenda Blethyn as one of the judges – in a judgment in 1992 described as a “charlatan” and “unqualified and unreliable”

Korir has in recent years – from 1996 – led the organization’s Rainbow Foundation which has been paid out large amounts from the state to AIDS-prevention efforts among African youth in Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim and Tromsoe. Last year, the Rainbow Foundation was paid 408.000 kroner in state funds. According to NRK ustlandssendingen they do not have any evidence that the events of the Rainbow Foundation have been held as scheduled.

Sammy Korir, as that organization’s president, has taken out most of the state funds to pay and – according to NRK – spent the rest of the funds in visiting restaurants.

Now under investigation: Korir and the Rainbow Foundation of the National Institute of Health.SOURCE

So, it appears Korir has “used” Rainbow Foundation funds for aids prevention for his own purposes and stole money from poor Kenyan students.

At least he didn’t sell many handbags (yes, he put up an ad for handbags)…ads on WordPress.com are against their TOS and a little birdy reported him to WordPress.

For their sake I hope the API “insiders” were part of the scam or they may find those phone calls cost them a whole lot more than their time and innocence.