How anti graft agency turned hunters to prey

They say no one is above the law, two taxmen have been hunted down by anti graft team over graft allegations.

Two Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) officers have been arrested by the anti-graft agency after they reportedly solicited for a Sh1 million bribe from a Mwea trader.

According to Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) Regional Director Charles Rasugu, the officials sought the bribe in order to help the proprietor of a hospital evade tax.Among them, Rasugu said, is a revenue officer based at KRA offices in Nyeri and another based in Embu.

The hospital in question, the director explained, had tax arrears of Sh2.5 million and the two officials were helping the businessman to facilitate favourable assessment of tax by reducing the tax liability.

“We launched an operation about a week ago after the said trader contacted the anti-graft agency complaining against the two officials demanding a bribe in order to clear him for tax evasion,” Rasugu added.

They are alleged to have advised him (trader) to pay KRA Sh500,000, give them Sh1 million and be left with Sh1 million, he explained.“By the time we made the arrest on Monday, the officials had already received a bribe of Sh550,000.

We arrested them as they went to collect the balance,” Rasugu stated.He said one of the KRA officers had gone to collect the balance of Sh450,000 when EACC detectives pounced on him at about 3pm.

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