NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 9 – Purma Holdings directors Mary Wambui and Purity Njoki who were charged with Sh2.2 billion have been granted Sh25 million cash bail each.
Anti-corruption Court Magistrate Felix Kombo gave them each an alternative bond of Sh50 million plus two sureties after they denied tax evasion charges.
He further directed that they deposit their passports and should not travel outside the country without prior knowledge of the court.
They were presented in court by their lawyers Nelson Havi, the president of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and Sylvanus Osoro after escaping a police dragnet on Wednesday night.
They were being sought after a warrant of arrest was issued against them last week when they failed to appear in court and instead sent their accountant.
The two arrived in court on Thursday morning, covering their faces, while accompanied by their lawyers.
The court heard that Mary Wambui had obtained a Zambian temporary permit indicating she intended to run away and avoid prosecution over tax evasion.
Their lawyers told the court that Wambui had fallen sick.
They presented themselves in court following a dramatic escape from Weston Hotel in Nairobi on Wednesday night where detectives had laid wait.
“The two, Mary Wambui Mungai & Purity Njoki Mungai escaped from their hotel rooms a few minutes before the police and officers from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) arrived to arrest them. Upon searching the hotel premises, KRA officers and the police found personal belongings of the two including cash, bank cards and car keys; a clear indication that the two were residing at the hotel,” KRA said in a statement.
UPDATE: Purma Holdings Directors Escape at City Hotel
2 directors of Purma Holdings Limited being sought over Kshs. 2.2 billion tax evasion court case, this evening escaped a police dragnet at a local city hotel where they were residing.
— Kenya Revenue Authority (@KRACorporate) December 8, 2021
The warrant on the two was issued after they failed to appear in the Anti-Corruption Court to answer 8 counts of “knowingly and unlawfully omitting taxes due in the Income Tax returns submitted to the Commissioner for Domestic Taxes between 2014-2016.”
They had attempted to obtain orders to suspend the warrant but were not successful.
It was not immediately clear how the two managed to escape from the hotel despite the presence of detectives who had been waiting to arrest them.
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