This archive report was first published on 23 August 2019.
On August 23, 2019, Keroche Breweries CEO Tabitha Karanja and her husband Joseph Karanja, the company's chairman, were released on bail after denying 10 counts of tax fraud.
According to a Nairobi court ruling, Tabitha Karanja was ordered to pay Sh10 million in cash bail, while her husband Joseph was required to pay Sh5 million.
Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi also ordered the couple to deposit Sh15 million in seven days, failing which directors apart from the chairman would be arrested.
The magistrate granted Joseph Karanja different bond terms due to his senior citizen status.
The prosecution, led by Alexander Muteti and Catherine Mwaniki, did not oppose the release on bond but requested that the defendants' passports be deposited in court.
However, the defendants' lawyer, James Orengo, opposed the request, arguing that his clients had invested heavily in Naivasha and could not flee the country.
He also stated that the prosecution had not provided sufficient evidence to show that the suspects would not abide by the bond terms.
The case will be mentioned on September 2.
Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji had ordered the arrest and arraignment of the couple on Wednesday, August 21, 2019, to answer charges of tax fraud committed between January 2015 and June 2019.
Tabitha Karanja accused the taxman of selective and unfair targeting, stating that she had always followed the law and was shocked to be accused of tax evasion while the matters were still under a tax tribunal.
"There is nowhere in the world where you can build a business having complied all through and still be subjected to such embarrassment and intimidation," Mrs. Karanja said.
