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2 car importers, 5 clearing and forwarding agents charged with tax evasion

The court heard that George Njihia Njoroge and Boniface Macharia, being directors of Manjok International Limited, on diverse dates between July 6, 2017 and November 2, 2018, jointly with others not before court, knowingly concerned themselves with the fraudulent evasion of duty/KRA

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 5 – Two directors of a motor-vehicle importation firm, together with five directors of clearing and forwarding firms were Friday charged in a Mombasa court for colluding to evade import duty totalling to Sh53.9 million.

The court heard that George Njihia Njoroge and Boniface Macharia, being directors of Manjok International Limited, on diverse dates between July 6, 2017 and November 2, 2018, jointly with others not before court, knowingly concerned themselves with the fraudulent evasion of duty.

They are accused of using an incorrect customs duty rate of 10 per cent instead of the applicable 25 per cent in respect of the motor vehicles imported under various customs entries.

Mombasa Chief Magistrate Edna Nyaloti released them on a bond of Sh4 million with an alternative of Sh200,000 cash bail.

One of the directors of a clearing and forwarding firm, L Port Solutions Limited, Sarah Wamaitha Gitau, was charged for fraudulently evading duty amounting to Sh24,445,110 on diverse dates between September 9, 2017 and April 18, 2019.

Wamaitha with others who were not before the court knowingly used incorrect customs duty rate of 10 per cent instead of the applicable 25 per cent in respect of the motor-vehicles imported under various customs entries.

Another director of different clearing and forwarding firm, George Otieno Ogutu of Fleet Freighters Limited faced a similar charge involving the fraudulent evasion of duty amounting to Sh21,278,592.

Wamaitha and Ogutu were released on a bond of Sh4 million each with an alternative of Ksh200,000 cash bail.

The Director of the other clearing firm Rank Network Logistics limited, Eric Chweya Nyamweya, also faced two charges of a similar nature, which involved fraudulently evading a total of Sh3.4 million by using an incorrect customs duty rate.

A director of the fourth clearing and forwarding firm, Rank Network Logistics also faced a similar case of allegedly being engaged in fraudulent evasion of duty amounting to Sh1.6 million by using an incorrect customs duty rate.

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They were released on a bond of Sh1 million with an alternative cash bail of Ksh100,000.

The court fixed the hearing of all the cases on October 23, 2019.

Meanwhile a businesswoman, Fathiya Yasir Ebrahim appeared before the same court and was charged with importing 11 overage vehicles which are prohibited under the East African Community Customs Management Act, 2004.

The court heard that on October 30, 2018, jointly with others not before court, she imported various motor-vehicles valued at Sh3 million, which they knew, or ought to have reasonably known were prohibited.

She was released on a bond of Sh1 million with an alternative cash bail of Sh200,000.

The hearing of her case was also fixed on October 23, 2019.

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