This archive report was first published on 22 October 2019.
On October 22, 2019, a Sh41 billion tax evasion case against businessman Humphrey Kariuki was set to begin, but it was delayed due to missing documents. The prosecution, led by Vincent Monda, requested more time to supply the 7,500 pages of documents they would rely on to prove the case.
According to Monda, the prosecution had not been able to supply all the documents as required due to the large number of documents involved. However, they agreed to provide witness statements and documentary evidence to the accused and their lawyers by December 5.
Lawyers representing Kariuki and his co-accused, Kioko Kilukumi and Cecil Miller, expressed concerns that the DVDs supplied by the prosecution did not meet the threshold of providing a fair trial. They noted that the documents supplied in soft copies had inconsistencies and missing pages, making it difficult to prepare a defense.
The prosecution was obligated to supply the defense with all materials in advance before the case could proceed. The accused, including Kariuki and his companies, Africa Spirits Limited and Wow Beverages Limited, are facing 21 charges related to tax evasion, falsifying records, and concealing excise stamp duties between 2016 and 2018.
The case was pushed to January 14, 2019, to allow the prosecution to supply all the necessary documents and exhibits.
