Keroche Breweries founder Tabitha Karanja was on Thursday, April 13, given a 45-day ultimatum to start the out-of-court settlement process in her multi-billion case.
The ultimatum followed the company's request to settle a protracted battle with the taxman over a Ksh14.5 billion revenue case.
Responding to Tabitha's plea, the taxman indicated that the company had not served them with the documents indicating their plan to settle the matter out of court.
To facilitate the process, Keroche was directed to notify the commissioner in writing, explaining the company's commitment to settling the Ksh14.5 billion in question.
The taxman further accused the company of being adamant which compelled it to press fresh charges.
"Keroche Breweries Limited has been adamant in disregarding the court order of July 14, 2022, notwithstanding that order was issued in the presence and with knowledge and understanding of the counsel of Keroche Breweries," the court documents read in part.
However, through her lawyers, Nakuru Senator pleaded not guilty to the charges while imploring the taxman to accept the out-of-court settlement.
On Sunday, February 5, Tabitha called out the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) over frustrations. The Nakuru Senator lamented that her business was struggling due to the charges.
The Senator detailed that she had been summoned to appear in court concerning the same matter on Monday, February 6.
"We got the letter yesterday (Saturday) from the DPP through our lawyer that the CEO, the chairman and Keroche Breweries are required to appear in court tomorrow (Monday) for a mention of the same case. We read malice, and this raises a lot of questions.
"Our worry is, why now? The timing is wrong because we are in negotiations to revive Keroche breweries with financial institutions, which are likely to be jeopardized," she questioned at the time.
In 2022, the firm battled a series of court battles after the taxman shut down the company. However, the matter was settled, allowing the company to resume operations.
