Tax evasion case resumes against Kenyan tycoon Humphrey Kariuki

The Ksh17-billion ($152.9 million) tax evasion case against multimillionaire businessman Humphrey Kariuki has commenced, with the prosecutor planning to line up 22 witnesses.

The case started on Oct. 25 and will be prosecuted by attorneys from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), following a delegation of prosecutorial powers by the Director of Public Prosecutions, The Star reported.

The prosecutors plan to cite evidence demonstrating the tax fraud scheme used by the defendant, including fake exercise stamps and the goods that were used. “We will show you gross omission of income, we will show you how all this culminated in tax losses of Sh17 billion,” the KRA said.

Kariuki is a Kenyan businessman and the founder of Janus Continental Group. The multinational conglomerate comprises market-leading companies in the energy, hospitality and real estate sectors, employing more than 200 people.

In his defense, Kariuki said: “I am a law abiding citizen who has endured a nearly two year legal ordeal on spurious charges that have continued to be litigated publicly.”

In 2019, the Kenyan authorities launched a chase for the multimillionaire tycoon on allegations of tax evasion worth more than $30 million and smuggling substandard ethanol products into the country.

His liquor company was shuttered while Kariuki and his core employees hid for a period following news reports that the police raided their offices.