Documents filed in court show that Ms Mungai, who denied tax evasion charges amounting to Sh2.2 billion, had reserved three rooms at Weston Hotel, which is associated with Deputy President William Ruto.
Her name was, however, missing as a guest at the reception and in the hotel registry, court papers say.
Police officers reportedly stormed the hotel on Wednesday night but the former clerical officer in the Health ministry and her daughter, Purity Njoki, escaped the dragnet before they were arrested.
Weston Hotel was on Thursday put on the spot for allegedly hiding wanted billionaire Jubilee party campaign financier Mary Wambui Mungai despite being aware that she was being sought by the government for tax evasion charges.
Documents filed in court show that Ms Mungai, who denied tax evasion charges amounting to Sh2.2 billion, had reserved three rooms at Weston Hotel, which is associated with Deputy President William Ruto.
Her name was, however, missing as a guest at the reception and in the hotel registry, court papers say.
Police officers reportedly stormed the hotel on Wednesday night but the former clerical officer in the Health ministry and her daughter, Purity Njoki, escaped the dragnet before they were arrested.
The two, however, allegedly left behind their personal belongings, including an identity card, bank cards, a firearms licence and a temporary travel permit to Zambia as they hurriedly left Weston hotel.
Yesterday, they turned themselves in at the magistrate court and were released on a cash bail of Sh25 million each or a bond of Sh50 million each and two sureties of Sh25 million each.
The trader, who has made a fortune from big-ticket State tenders in agencies like the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) and the military, is known in political circles as Wambui wa Ruto, due to her close association with the Deputy President, especially at the height of the 2013 and the 2017 elections.
Evidence presented before anti-corruption chief magistrate Felix Kombo indicates that the police were tracking mother and daughter using their mobile phones, but they had switched off the gadgets.
Investigating officer Amina Ado said they had circulated a signal to all police stations in the country for her to be apprehended in case she was seen.
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) had also said it sealed Kenya’s exit points in case she decided to flee the country.
She also visited a Nairobi hospital on November 29, after her lawyer claimed that she was hospitalised at the institution but they could get any information without a court order. She later visited her home in Mimosa Groove.
On December 8, Ms Ado said she received intelligence reports that she was at Weston Hotel and had booked three rooms.
“The records at the hotel maintained at the reception had not listed the duo as guests on December 8 despite their personal belongings being found there,” she said.
Yesterday, the prosecution opposed her release on bond, saying she was a flight risk having obtained a temporary travel permit to Zambia for six months.
She obtained it in July, a month after the KRA summoned her for questioning.
Ms Mungai and her daughter presented themselves in court yesterday morning in the company of lawyers Nelson Havi and Sylvanus Osoro.
They denied eight charges, including failure to pay the Sh2.2 billion taxes through a company known as Purma Holdings between 2014 and 2020.
The businesswoman, a member of the Friends of Jubilee Foundation lobby which raised millions of shillings for President Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election campaign in 2017 in two hours, was first summoned by the KRA on June 25, along with her daughter to shed light on the alleged unpaid taxes.
She earned billions of shillings for supplying boots, uniforms and cereals to the military, among other State departments.
The 58-year-old woman from Gatundu South also secured multi-million shilling deals with Kemsa, including the supply of Covid-19 kits.
The court had on Wednesday declined to lift a warrant against them even after their lawyer said she was on bed rest on the advice of doctors at Kiambu Level Five Hospital and that her daughter was her caregiver.
After denying the charges, the prosecution urged the court to deny them bail, saying they were likely to flee the country.
Mr Havi, however, told the court that Ms Mungai had invested in the country and had no plans of escaping. He said Kenya and Zambia were trading partners and Ms Mungai had business links there.
Mr Havi also asked the court to have Ms Mungai and her daughter deposit Sh5 million each.
In the ruling, the court noted that the duo was at first dishonest and intended to delay and stall the trial. However, he noted that they presented themselves voluntarily and answered to the charges.
“I have considered the fear that the State has in relation to the fact that a valid Zambian temporary travel document was recovered around this time when the accused appeared to have been engaging the investigators in a cat and mouse game,” Mr Kombo said.
The magistrate said it would have been different had the businesswoman been caught trying to use the visa.
“While the previous conduct of the accused hasn’t been that stellar, I feel by their voluntary appearance, even under a looming execution of the warrant of arrest herein, they have somewhat vindicated themselves,” he said.
They were also directed to present themselves before the police officers attached to the KRA on December 14 for their fingerprints and other details to be taken.
