Court releases KRA staff on bail for abetting tax evasion claim

NAIROBI, KENYA: Four Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) officers, have been arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts, in Nairobi, for perpetrating tax evasion related crimes.

The officers, who have also been suspended from the Authority’s service, were formerly attached to the KRA Customs and Border Control Division, in Mombasa.

KRA staffers, Lilian Akoth Onyango, John Wesonga, Anthony Ochieng and David Mwongela, appeared before Milimani Law Courts, Chief Magistrate, Daniel Ogembo, facing a charge of making false customs transit bonds.

The four, denied the charges and were released on a Sh1 million bond of or cash bail of 200,000 each.

The four KRA staffers are currently on suspension, for abetting tax evasion vices, at the Portside and Autoport Container Freight Stations, in Mombasa.

In recent weeks, KRA, has managed to swiftly plug potential revenue leakage holes in the lucrative import cargo sector with a raft of new customs procedures.

The new procedures, cover the running of existing Container Freight Stations (CFS) under a more stringent and tightly controlled regime. To provide the necessary legal muscle to underpin the new regulations, KRA Gazetted the new regulations and procedures governing the operation of transit sheds late last year; in line with the provisions of the East African Community Customs Management Act, 2004, and East African Customs Management Regulations.