The founder of the Silverbird Group, Ben Murray-Bruce, has recounted how his South African partner defrauded him of $3.5 million in a cinema complex purchase in Kenya.

Although he didn’t name his partner, he revealed that after transferring the money, the partner registered the business in his name.

Murray-Bruce shared this experience during the fourth edition of the Peace Anyiam-Osigwe Nigeria Digital Content Regulation Conference in Victoria Island, Lagos State, on Thursday.

He said, “I was called to buy a cinema complex in Kenya for $3.5 million. I transferred the money and my South African partner registered it in his name. That was how I lost that huge investment. I have a studio in Los Angeles and I am battling with litigation with one of the most prominent actors in Hollywood.”

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Expressing his interest in movie production, Murray-Bruce mentioned that he is working on a movie script addressing fundamental societal issues. He emphasized the importance of promoting creativity, recalling an incident in Ajegunle, Lagos, where he saw kids fighting—future leaders learning to be tough, although some might see them as crooks.

Murray-Bruce said, “Leaders of entertainment in the US today were born in their Ajegunle. The entertainment industry is a very successful one. In all the things I have done, I have never made one move about movie making but now, I will. I am working on a script and I know we will get it right. We will deal with fundamental issues.”

He also paid tribute to the late Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, a prominent Nigerian filmmaker and founder of the African Movie Academy Awards, who passed away on January 10, 2023. Murray-Bruce reminisced about how she used to visit him on her bicycle, asking why he left entertainment for politics. He has known her since she was six years old.