Two directors arrested over Sh1.4 billion tax evasion

Two directors of an IT firm are staring at fines or jail time of up to three years for allegedly failing to pay Sh1.4 billion in taxes.

Olympus Computer Garage Limited’s George Bhutto Abiga and Berard Ochieng Okello were yesterday arrested for deliberately failing to declare taxes due from sales made by the company.

The Commissioner for investigations and enforcement at Kenya Revenue Authority David Yego said the company sold items to Mitsumi Computer Garage between September 2014 and August 2016.

“The suspects filed nil returns for Corporation tax and did not disclose the business transaction.”

He added that the company also failed to declare an assortment of computer gadgets and accessories such as laptops and flash drives they imported.

Such goods attract zero duty but are charged 16 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) and Railway Development Levy (RDI).

“The company equally failed to file Value Added Tax (VAT) for the year 2014 and instead filed NIL returns for the year 2015 and 2016, intentionally failing to declare sales of over Sh1 billion,” Yego said in a statement.

Yego, who noted importers were under declaring high value goods brought into the country through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), said KRA was on the watch and will prosecute those found culpable.

Abiga and Okello are due in court tomorrow.

If found guilty, they are likely to be fined an amount not exceeding Sh10 million or double the tax they evaded. They could also be jailed for a period not exceeding three years.