Africa-Press – Kenya. The High Court has granted orders sought by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) freezing the unexplained wealth of a senior Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) official.
The wealth includes 19 prime properties worth Sh278 million owned by the KEBS official. In the orders issued on May 25, 2023, Justice Maina restrained the official from selling, transferring or charging the properties until the matter is fully heard and determined.
Justice Esther Maina on Wednesday scheduled the matter for mention on July 20, 2023. “The effect of the orders is that the assets will remain frozen until the forfeiture case filed by EACC is fully heard and determined,” the court ruled.
The official previously worked as a senior official at the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and had acquired substantial wealth beyond his known legitimate sources of income while holding the said public office.
At the time of his resignation from KRA, he was a Supervisor at the Domestic Tax Department at KRA. He is believed to have corruptly acquired the unexplained wealth when he served as a senior KRA Official.
EACC wants unexplained assets forfeited to the government, for being proceeds of graft. The commission has been conducting investigations with the assets preserved under a temporary injunction issued in May 2022.
EACC told the court investigations undertaken established that the accused official amassed wealth that was not commensurate with his known sources of income.
He received substantial successive cash deposits in his various bank accounts which he could not satisfactorily demonstrate the source. The commission suspected that the same was acquired through bribes he received by virtue of his employment at KRA.
Between January 2012 and January 2021, the official acquired landed property valued at Sh181 million in the Bank account, M-pesa deposits and recovered cash amounting to Sh91,672,624. The total cumulative value of all these assets less his salary earned during the period of interest amounted to Sh278,472,624.
EACC said the wealth accumulated by the official in landed properties, bank, M-Pesa deposits and motor vehicles, whose value was disproportionate to his known legitimate sources of income was Sh278,472,624.
EACC instituted forfeiture proceedings through a suit filed before the High Court on May 12, 2023, to recover and return the assets to the government.
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