Boarders Sealed After Jubilee Financier Skipped Court in Sh2.2 Billion Tax Evasion Case

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has sealed airports and border points in search of Purma Holdings Limited director wanted for tax evasion.

Arrest warrants were on Monday issued against Mary Wambui Mungai and her daughter Purity Njoki for failing to appear in court in a Sh2.2 billion tax evasion case.

The alert was issued to seal the border points, including Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), to prevent Wambui, a Jubilee party financier, from leaving the country.

Wambui was supposed to appear before the taxman on December 3 but declined the invitation.

On Monday, her defense team while appearing before anti-corruption court chief magistrate Felix Kombo, argued that their client had been unwell since November 29. They did not provide evidence to back their claims.

Read: Warrant of Arrest Issued Against Jubilee Party Financier Mary Mungai Over Unpaid Sh2.2 Billion Taxes

Mr Kombo rejected an application to delay the plea taking for at least 10 days.

While issuing the arrest warrants, Mr Kombo said the duo was buying time instead of confronting the KRA charges, noting that the allegations leveled against them were serious.

The Jubilee financier is accused of evading tax earned from government tenders for supplying boots, uniform and cereals to the military, among other State departments.

The duo are to be charged with at least seven charges.

Read Also: Jubilee Party Financier Faces Arrest Over Ksh2.5 Billion Tax Row With KRA

In the first charge, they are accused of omitting from returns an amount which should have been included contrary to section 97(a) as read with section 104(3) of the Tax Procedures Act No. 29 of 2015.

They are also to be charged with failure to submit a tax return by the due date contrary to section 94(1) as read with section 104(1) of the Tax Procedures Act No. 29 of 2015 and failure to pay tax by the due date contrary.

If found guilty for the offence of omission, the penalty is a fine not exceeding Sh10 million or double the tax evaded whichever is higher or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years or both.

For the offences of submit a tax return and failure to pay tax, the penalty is a fine not exceeding Sh1 million and to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years.