This archive report was first published on 26 August 2019.
On Friday, Nairobi's Milimani Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi released Keroche Industries Ltd owners Tabitha Karanja and her husband Joseph Karanja on cash bail.
They denied 10 counts of tax fraud, which were committed between January 2015 and June 2019.
Tabitha Karanja, the CEO of Keroche, was ordered to pay Sh10 million cash bail, while her husband Joseph, the chairman of the beer company, was ordered to pay Sh5 million.
However, the couple was given different bond terms, with Tabitha Karanja required to deposit Sh15 million in seven days, failure to which directors apart from the chairman would be arrested.
The magistrate granted Mr. Karanja different bond terms because he is a senior citizen.
Prosecutors Alexander Muteti and Catherine Mwaniki were not opposed to the suspects' release on bond but requested that the defendants deposit their passports in court.
However, the defendants' lawyer James Orengo opposed the request, arguing that his clients could not flee the country because they have invested heavily in Naivasha.
He added that the prosecution had not shown any evidence that the suspects would not abide by the bond terms.
The case will be mentioned on September 2.
