British hotelier Simon Wood, from Preston, Lancashire, and his wife Francesca Scalfari were locked up in a Zanzibar prison charged with money laundering (Image: SWNS)
British dad opens up about being locked in 'hell hole' prison on paradise island
A British hotelier who was locked up in a “hell hole” prison in Zanzibar said he is “pinching” himself after finally arriving home.
Simon Wood, 51, from Preston, Lancashire, and his wife Francesca Scalfari, 45, having invested in buying and running a boutique hotel in Zanzibar were jailed on the West African island just over a fortnight ago charged with money laundering and other financial crimes. This sent shock waves through the other hoteliers on the island of Zanzibar and investors from around the world considering the location for future foreign investment.
The couple were eventually released after lawyers persuaded a judge to dismiss the most serious accusations levelled at them reported media sources around the world.
Under local laws, the couple could have been kept in jail for up to eight months while awaiting trial, but Simon believes the laundering charges were all a “tactic”.
He says there was no real likelihood he or Francesca would have been prosecuted for them – though they do still face nine lesser charges.
Simon was locked inside the ancient Kilimani prison – built by Portuguese colonisers roughly 300 years ago – on June 7 where he was subjected to squalid conditions.
He slept on a single mattress with another inmate and had to defecate through a hole in the 10-man cell.
Guards also shaved his head, probed his food with their fingers and even refused visitations from relatives on occasions, he claimed.
During their time inside, the couple’s son Luca, 11, lived with his grandparents.
Simon said: “It’s very shocking, obviously. I was taken there and strip-searched. My wife was in a separate place where the women are.
“On the male side, there are around 600 inmates and about 450 are on remand. They are basically all crammed into rooms of between 20 and eight, and I got into one that initially had ten in a room.
“I had a single mattress on the floor. I had to share that with another guy. We were locked in for 14 hours a day, from 4.30pm to around 6am, at daybreak.
“It’s quite hot until later a night, and there were mosquitos. There’s a hole in the wall which is the toilet, basically.
“The prison was built by the Portuguese in the 1700s, and it’s not really changed much, to be frank.”
Simon has lived on Zanzibar for 20 years.
He claims the legal dispute stems from a “quarrel” over money with ex-investors in his resort, the Sharazād Boutique Hotel.
But he said it was a “relief” that a judge had granted him bail, adding that he and his wife were “ready” to defend themselves in court on future occasions.
He said: “We’re floating now. I’m pinching myself. There are still 9 charges levelled against us, but we hold no fear against those.
“I’m quite ready to go to court. We’re just shocked that this has gone from a civil to a criminal case.”
He went on to say the ordeal has separated the parents from son Luca, as well as impacting his elderly parents.
Simon and Francesca put their child on a plane to Italy, alone, the day before they entered prison.
The dad said he found out about the charges against him and his wife about a month ago.
Zanzibar airport awarded for service excellence
The Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (AAKIA) has won the Best Airport under two Million Passengers in Africa award.
Share this news
This Years Most Read News Stories
Britam half-year net profit hits Sh2bn on higher investment income
Insurer and financial services provider Britam posted a 22.5 percent jump in net earnings for the half-year ended June 2024, to Sh2 billion, buoyed by increased investment income.
The rise in half-year net profit from Sh1.64 billion posted in a similar period last year came on the back of net investment income rising 2.5 times to Sh13.27 billion from Sh5.3 billion.
“We are confident in the growth and performance trend that Britam has achieved, supported by its subsidiaries in Kenya and the region. Our business is expanding its revenue base while effectively managing costs,” Britam Chief Executive Officer Tom Gitogo said.
“Our customer-centric approach is fueling growth in our customer base and product uptake, particularly through micro-insurance, partnerships, and digital channels.”
The investment income growth was fueled by interest and dividend income rising 34 percent to Sh9.1 billion, which the insurer attributed to growth in revenue and the gains from the realignment of the group’s investment portfolio.
Britam also booked a Sh3.79 billion gain on financial assets at a fair value, compared with a Sh1.8 billion loss posted in a similar period last year.
The increased investment income helped offset the 12.7 percent decline in net insurance service result to Sh2.13 billion in the wake of claims paid out rising at a faster pace than that of premiums received.
Britam said insurance revenue, which is money from written premiums, increased to Sh17.8 billion from Sh16.6 billion, primarily driven by growth in the Kenya insurance business and regional general insurance businesses, which contributed 30 percent of the revenue.
The group has a presence in seven countries in Africa namely Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, Mozambique, and Malawi.
Britam’s insurance service expense hit Sh13.6 billion from Sh11.3 billion, while net insurance finance expenses rose 2.6 times to Sh12.3 billion during the same period.
“Net insurance finance expenses increased mainly due to growth in interest cost for the deposit administration business driven by better investment performance. This has also been impacted by a decline in the yield curve, which has led to an increase in the insurance contract liabilities. The increase has been offset by a matching increase in fair value gain on assets,” said Britam.
Britam’s growth in profit is in line with that of other Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed insurers, which have seen a rise in profits.
Jubilee Holdings net profit in the six months increased by 22.7 percent to Sh2.5 billion on increased income from insurance, helping the insurer maintain Sh2 per share interim dividend.
CIC Insurance Group posted a 0.64 percent rise in net profit to Sh709.99 million in the same period as net earnings of Liberty Kenya nearly tripled to Sh632 million from Sh213 million, while Sanlam Kenya emerged from a loss to post a Sh282.2 million net profit.
Zanzibar Investor British Dad talks about being jailed on paradise island
British investor and hotelier Simon Wood, from Preston, Lancashire, and his wife Francesca Scalfari were locked up in a Zanzibar prison charged with money laundering. Both were released after pressure from British Embassy.Continue Reading
Zanzibar Airport Authority to audit ground handlers
Unguja. The Zanzibar Airports Authority (ZAA) is set to conduct an audit on ground handling companies that currently operate at the Abeid Amani Karume Airport with effect from Monday. The week-long audit is set to include Transworld, ZAT and the newcomer Dnata Zanzibar who were licensed in June plus exclusive rights to manage Terminal 3 building by ZAA.Continue Reading
