"Make a 'money bouquet' and face up to 7 years in prison"...this country issues warning ahead of Valentine’s Day

[Financial News] The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has warned that so‐called "money bouquets" made by folding banknotes into flowers are illegal, and that anyone making such bouquets could face a prison sentence of up to seven years.
According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and other outlets on the 4th (local time), the Central Bank of Kenya issued a statement on the 2nd saying that attaching glue to banknotes or using staplers and pins to make money bouquets constitutes damage to currency. It stressed that this is a criminal offense punishable by up to seven years in prison.
The Central Bank of Kenya noted that damaged banknotes can cause malfunctions in automated teller machines (ATM) and cash-counting machines, leading to unnecessary public costs. However, it added that it is not opposed to giving cash as a gift itself, and recommended finding ways to present banknotes as gifts without causing any physical damage.
Warnings over the mutilation of currency have recently been issued not only in Kenya but across several African countries.
According to Africa News, in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, where it is customary to throw money at weddings or parties as a sign of celebration, authorities recently arrested people who appeared in an online video showing cash being tossed on the floor and trampled. In Ghana, officials have also issued warnings about repeatedly folding banknotes to create so‐called "money cakes."
In South Korea, the Bank of Korea Act stipulates that "no one shall, without the permission of the Bank of Korea, damage coins by melting, crushing, compressing, or by any other means in order to use them for purposes other than as currency for profit." Violations involving the damage of coins are punishable by up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won.
newssu@fnnews.com Kim Su-yeon Reporter