Court denies KRA staff bail in tax evasion probe

What you need to know:

  • 7 KRA workers in two groups of three and four seek to block the police from arresting them.
  • 38 workers in detention, 18 others to be arraigned.
  • DCI says suspects had formed a social media platform group on Telegram with the sole purpose of interfering with the ongoing investigations.

Another three KRA employees moved to court Wednesday in a bid to block the police from arresting them in connection to ongoing probe into the scandal at the Kenya Revenue Authority.

But the court declined to do so and ordered them to surrender themselves for questioning at the Director of Criminal Investigations offices.

High Court Judge Luka Kimaru directed that Mr Moses Mbogo Mirugi, Ms Charity Njoki Kinyua and Ms Purity Nkirote Muthamia avail themselves to the DCI as of Wednesday 1pm.

“The applicants should surrender themselves at DCI on or before 1pm before this matter is mentioned on May 16 for further directions,” the judge ruled.

The trio had told the court that they were wrongly targeted in the probe on tax evasion and bribery, and through their lawyer Mr John Swaka, they claimed that arrest and detention would ultimately subject them to embarrassment, ridicule and psychological torture, and intimidation contrary to their rights in the Constitution.

ON THE RUN

They had also told the court that were willing to abide by any conditions set as long as they are not arrested and detained in the manner in which their colleagues have been subjected to.

The trio, who have worked for more than a decade under the Domestic tax department, were seeking anticipatory bail similar to what another four of their colleagues had done barely hours earlier.

The four are Joseph Kuyo Legei, Geoffrey Kipsang Ngeno, Felix Ndambuki Kimeu, Caleb Angwenyi Auka.

Whilst this seven have sought the court’s protection, 48 others are said to be on the run.

So far, 56 KRA staff have been arrested by the police and arraigned.

The police is seeking to have them in detention as they continue with investigations.

CHAT GROUP

Of the 56, some 38 employees were detained for 14 days by Senior Resident Magistrate Paul Mayova. The magistrate is set to rule on the fate of 18 others.

Last week, a total of 70 KRA staff were arrested.

According to DCI, the suspects had formed a social media platform group on Telegram with the sole purpose of interfering with the ongoing investigations.

In the chat group, the suspects, allegedly had used pseudo names and discussed on how to sabotage operations at KRA to put the ongoing probe in jeopardy.

DCI told the court that it has access to KRA systems including iTax, Legacy, Integrated Customs Management System, Simba 2005, Manifest Management System, Biometrics Access System and KNESWS.

The detectives also said they have confiscated 178 mobile phones and laptops and were conducting a detail analysis.