The Nairobi Anti-Corruption Court has dropped a tax evasion charge lobbed against Communications Authority(CA) Chairperson Appointee Mary Wambui.
Magistrate Felix Kombo made the ruling on Tuesday, January 10, following an earlier application by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji seeking to withdraw the case.
Wambui, who was appointed as CA Chairperson by President William Ruto in December 2022, was accused of evading taxes amounting to Ksh2.2 billion.
Her daughter, who was her co-accused in the case, was also exonerated in the ruling.
In his application, DPP Haji's side requested more time to review a new letter from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA).
The prosecution further stated that an out-of-court settlement was in consideration as an alternative to resolve the tax stand-off between Wambui and the tax man.
"The letter by KRA over the substantial progress on the out-of-court settlement is being considered in this regard," the DPP stated.
Wambui's appointment in December marked a turn from the previous predicaments that faced her in the previous regime.
However, the evasion case had threatened to scuttle her ascension to her new role as CA Chairperson after an activist moved to court challenging her appointment.
The activist sought orders barring Wambui's appointment, citing integrity concerns based on her tax evasion case.
A section of political players in the country also questioned the motive of her appointment, noting that it would be a deviation from the dictates of the law on matters of integrity.
Her acquittal added to the list of President Ruto's appointees who saw various cases against them drooped.
Since the dawn of President Ruto's administration, the DPP dropped cases against prominent politicians, some of whom landed prime positions in his government. Nonetheless, the DPP has maintained that the withdrawals were procedural and based on utter consideration of the evidence adduced.
