The police have been arresting prominent businessmen across different sectors of the economy and hauling them to court in dramatic fashion to face tax evasion charges. Only last week, businessman Humphrey Kariuki was arrested over similar allegations and Thursday saw the arrest of Naivasha-based Keroche Breweries founders on suspicion of evading taxes amounting to Sh14.4 billion.
The arrest drama has played a part in showing that no one is above the law, but both the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) risk losing the plot if they do not achieve any convictions in the short and medium term.
The more difficult but most important phase now is to prosecute and convict those that have been accused of evading taxes running into billions of shillings. And once they are convicted, the mechanism to ensure that that money is recovered must be successfully activated to inspire public confidence.
Law enforcement agencies have been making arrests over the past one year but in some of the high-profile cases the prosecution has been accused of presenting weak evidence. In other cases, it has terminated charges abruptly. The DCI and DPP should do their work as per the law without malice.
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