A court has prohibited 38 suspects at the centre of a tax evasion probe from interfering with investigations.
The Kenya Revenue Authority employees appeared before High Court Judge Luka Kimaru yesterday, where they were ordered not to contact KRA officials or tamper with the agency’s systems.
They were also directed to be appearing before the Directorate of Criminal Investigations on weekdays at 10am. The matter will be mentioned on June 13.
Justice Kimaru at the same time upheld the Sh200,000 cash bail granted to the suspects pending conclusion of investigations.
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The suspects, who had been arraigned after they were arrested on allegations of tax avoidance and abuse of office, had been granted bail on May 17.
Eighteen more suspects charged with the same offences were held for 10 days despite arguments by their lawyers seeking to block the detention.
The prosecution, through Inspector Arthur Onyango, had submitted that they were seeking to arrest more suspects as well as conduct forensic examinations on mobile phones, computers and other electronics obtained from the suspects.
“The activities of the respondents and their associates pose a great risk to the mainstay of the economy, hence risking national security, and their actions must be fully investigated,” said Mr Onyango.
According to an affidavit filed by Onyango, the suspects were arrested on May 10 at KRA Domestic Taxes Department and Customs and Border Control Department following credible intelligence that they were colluding with certain taxpayers to evade taxes or to reduce tax liabilities.
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Kenya Revenue AuthorityJudge Luka KimaruDirectorate of Criminal Investigations
