This archive report was first published on 19 December 2019.
On August 13, 2019, a Kiambu Court made a landmark ruling, ordering the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to refrain from seizing assets and properties of Africa Spirits Limited (ASL) and Wow Beverages Limited (WBL), based in Thika, Kiambu County.
The two agencies had submitted a bid to pursue assets and properties of the alcohol manufacturers, but the court sided with a High Court decision to stop the defendants from attaching Humphrey Kariuki's assets.
As part of their investigations, the DCI through the DPP had applied to trace and seize assets belonging to WOW, ASL, and companies affiliated to Mr. Kariuki, alleging huge sums of money were about to be moved through the companies' bank accounts.
Justice Luka Kimaru had earlier stated that the DCI was barred from pursuing tax-related investigations in ASL and WBL, and Humphrey Kariuki is facing a Sh41 billion tax evasion case.
Senior principal magistrate Elector Riany delivered the ruling, allowing the application by Miller for the two companies to set aside the orders initially obtained by the DPP to freeze bank accounts held in Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) and the National Bank of Kenya (NBK).
