This archive report was first published on 13 September 2019.
On September 13, 2019, Kiambu Senior Principal Magistrate Stella Atambo made a significant ruling in the case of Humphrey Kariuki, a billionaire businessman charged with Sh41 billion tax evasion.
The magistrate lifted a freeze on the accounts of nine companies associated with Kariuki, which were held at National Bank of Kenya and Kenya Commercial Bank.
The freeze was imposed last month after the Director of Public Prosecutions moved to court and secured orders targeting the accounts of Kariuki's company, Wow Beverages, based in Thika.
However, the magistrate noted that the orders to freeze the accounts were not properly sought, and that the prosecution had 'ridden on orders it never sought'.
She further ruled that the orders to freeze the account of Wow Beverages were never served to Kariuki, and that there was no prayer for preservation of any account made.
The prosecution was given 14 days to appeal the decision.
