A trader who pulled a gun on a Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) officer was on Monday, October 14 detained by a Nairobi court.
Daily Nation reported on Tuesday, October 15 that Hassan Ahmednur Baricha threatened to shoot Solomon Laikeria over a Ksh162 million tax bill and was charged and detained at Industrial Area Prison.
Baricha surrendered in court after an arrest warrant was sent out on Friday, October 11, where he applied to be released on bond.
He, however, was denied bond as KRA prosecutor Nelly Ngovi claimed that Baricha was a dangerous person who had threatened the life of a tax enforcement officer by placing a gun on his head.
Ngovi reiterated to Senior Principal Magistrate Peter Ooko that Baricha's actions were extreme and demanded that he be denied bond.
"The accused is a dangerous person who not only threatened the life of a police officer Solomon Laikeria seconded to KRA by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations but has also refused to receive a tax demand notice," Ms Ngovi mentioned.
She also noted that a suspect could be denied bond by law if the offence they committed was punishable by 10 years or more.
"I, therefore, urge this court to deny the accused bond as the serious penalty likely to be imposed is an incentive to jump bail," Ngovi confirmed.
The prosecutor revealed that Laikeria jumped from the moving vehicle in an attempt to save his life and sustained injuries on his hip.
The matter had been reported at Railways Police Station with Baricha, a director at Hanamal Construction Company accused of committing the offence.
Baricha denied flouting the tax rules between 2015, 2016, and 2017. He had allegedly falsified tax returns totalling to Ksh162,059,273.
