KRA official arrested for reportedly demanding Sh50,000 bribe
An employee of the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) was on March 16, 2023, nabbed by officers drawn from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for soliciting for a bribe.
The suspect identified as Mr Ismail Ahmed Mire who works as a debt officer had demanded for Sh50,000 bribe so that he could assist the complainant in amending a wrongly accrued Value Added Tax (VAT) penalty.
He was taken to Integrity Center police station where he was released on cash bail ahead of a court appearance on March 17, 2023.
Due to the pressure from the suspect, the complainant made a decision to go and file a complaint which he did on March 8, 2023.
It is then that officials attached to EACC kicked off with the investigations leading to the arrest.
On March 15, evening the EACC officials accompanied the complainant to Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUA) where the debt officer is based.
The complainant then went ahead and handed the officer a bribe of Sh40,000 which was partial pay with a promise that they would add the 10,000 after the helps in amending the VAT penalty.
They had a brief chat with the official and as the suspect was making his way out the EACC officials stormed into the office and arrested the suspect.
“Officers conducted a body search on the KRA official and he was found in possession of the sum,” EACC said in a statement.
Three weeks ago, EACC detectives arrested six members of the Embu Land Control Board for collectively demanding bribes.
EACC said that the collection was illegal as the Board should take land transactions without asking for bribes.
The Board reportedly sits once per month to process various applications and it was in such an occasion that the suspects were arrested.
Also read: Ruto rewards loyalists, election losers with CAS appointments