DPP seek to review Sh2.2billion tax evasion case against tycoon Mary Wambui
The Sh2.2 billion tax evasion charges against businesswoman Mary Wambui, a close ally to President William Ruto, has been given extra time for examination by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Noordin Haji.
Milimani Anti-Corruption Judge Felix Kombo yesterday approved the DPP’s plea for further time to review the accusations of tax evasion before deciding whether or not to withdraw them.
The case took a fresh twist after the DPP informed the court, through Judy Thongori, that he hadn’t yet made up his mind regarding Wambui and her daughter Purity Njoki.
As a result, the magistrate granted the DPP until December 5 to deliver his final determination on the case.
The accusations against Wambui and her daughter are being reviewed, the court was told, in response to a request filed by the accused in a letter addressed to the prosecutor’s office on September 14 by the accused.
“On September 29, in response to the accuser’s request, our office wrote to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to get their opinion on the situation. We received a response from KRA on October 6 informing us that, after the accused’s objection to the amount owed, they were in discussions with them over the tax payable,” he said.
“Consequently, it suggests that an out-of-court settlement is being considered in this case. We didn’t have time after obtaining the KRA response to ask the DPP Haji for advice on how to handle the situation given this recent development, ” added Thongori.
The DPP’s plea for an extension until December 5, nevertheless, was not opposed by Wambui and her daughter through attorneys Nelson Havi and Adrian Kamotho.
Eight counts of willfully and unlawfully deleting taxes from income tax returns submitted to the Commissioner for Domestic Taxes for the years 2014 to 2016 are leveled against Wambui, her daughter, and Purma Holdings in this case.
