The Nairobi Anti-Corruption Court has placed three Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) employees, including a supervisor, on their defense.
In a statement published on Wednesday, October 2, by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) cited that the court found that the prosecution established a prima facie case against them.
“The court heard that the accused jointly received a bribe of Ksh. 8,000 to influence the issuance of a Tax Compliance Certificate.” the ODPP statement read in part.
The ODPP reported that a bribe was received from Golden Shield General Supplies Limited, whose director had an outstanding tax liability of Ksh. 20,000.
At the same time, the ODPP listed the accused employees including a supervisor at the Garissa Tax Services Office.
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Charges Filed Against KRA Employees
In her ruling, Principal Magistrate Zipporah Gichana stated that she had considered the relevant laws.
Similarly, she considered evidence shared before certifying that the prosecution had established a case against the accused and consequently placed them on their defense.
Moreover, one of the officers faces an additional charge for abuse of office.
It is alleged that he improperly conferred a benefit to Golden Shield General Supplies Limited by issuing a Tax Compliance Certificate.
“They are also accused of receiving bribes of Ksh5,000 and Ksh4,000, respectively, to facilitate the certificate’s issuance,” the statement indicated.
Further, the ODPP stated, “He faces a charge of giving a bribe, contrary to Section 5(1) as read with Section 18(1) of the Bribery Act No. 47 of 2016.”
Moreover, the Prosecution Counsel Kennedy Panyako called a total of 14 witnesses. The case is set to be mentioned again on 8th October 2024.
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Previous Bribery Cases
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) on July 30 published a case on the arraignment of a former KRA employee for bribery.
The employee who the commission identified as David Omondi Omogo was arraigned at Milimani Anti-Corruption Court on four accounts of bribery.
The EACC got to learn of the bribery act from the administrator of Infinity Benefits Limited on July 14, 2021, and launched investigations leading to his arrest on July 19, 2021.
However, David pleaded not guilty, and the Senior Principal Magistrate, Thomas Nzioki, ruled that the suspect be released on a cash bail of Ksh. 3 million or a bond of Kes6 million. The case was dismissed and was to be mentioned again on August 8, 2024.
Further, the report stated that the KRA employee had demanded a bribe of Ksh, 5 million and had received a down payment of Ksh 200,000 by the time of his arrest.
The EACC statement cited that the bribe was to improperly facilitate the reduction of Ksh. 25.2 million tax arrears the company owed to KRA.
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