This archive report was first published on 24 September 2019.
On August 16, 2019, a Kiambu court granted an order to investigate the accounts of nine companies linked to tycoon Humphrey Kariuki, but the Director of Public Prosecutions allegedly altered the wording of the order.
According to Kariuki's lawyers, the word 'preserve' was inserted into the order, which was served to KCB and National Bank of Kenya (NBK) to freeze the accounts of the nine companies.
The affected firms include Wow Beverages, Dalbit Petroleum, Rhine Hart, Section Investments, Janus Continental Group, Belgravia Construction, Azalea Holdings, and Kisima Management Company Limited.
Lawyer Cecil Miller told High Court Judge Luka Kimaru that the DPP had sought an order to investigate the accounts of the nine companies, some of which have not been charged over tax evasion.
Miller alleged that the DPP abused his powers by investigating the accounts of the nine companies, which are issued with Pin tax numbers at the registration point.
He argued that only Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) officers are supposed to investigate tax evasion claims and not the police.
