A police officer who was attached to the disbanded Special Service Unit (SSU) under the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) is facing up to 20 years in jail for allegedly demanding a bribe from a motorist.
According to a gazette notice released on Friday, August 11, the officer was apprehended by Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) detectives after he was lured into a trap by his colleagues.
The detectives acted on a complaint filed by the motorist, who reported that the Police Corporal demanded Ksh30,000 before writing him a favourable tape-lift report.
Tape lift, according to the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) is the verification of a vehicle's chassis number and engine number to confirm whether the details match the registration documents. It helps to curb fraud and logbook forgery cases.
The motorist needed the report to kickstart the process of deregistering his car at the NTSA after disposing of it.
"To finalise the de-registration process, NTSA required that the motorist avail a tape lift report and another report from Interpol," the report outlined.
To commence the process, the motorist went to the DCI, from where he was to pick up the tape lift report for presentation at the Interpol offices in Nairobi.
However, on July 21, 2022, his efforts to get the tape lift report were frustrated after the Police Corporal demanded a bribe before drafting the report.
"Having contacted the commission, the motorist planned to meet the Police Corporal who requested a bribe of Ksh30,000 so as to issue him with a favourable report. The Commission organised for an operation and presented Ksh15,000 as bribe," the report read in parts.
The successful operation led to the arrest of the former Special Service Unit officer, who was immediately processed according to the Law.
"A report was compiled and forwarded to the DPP on 12th June, 2023 recommending that the suspect be charged with two counts of receiving a bribe, contrary to section 6 (1) (a) as read with section 18 (1), (2) of the Bribery Act, No. 47 of 2016," the EACC report read in parts.
Section 6(1)(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) of Kenya prohibits any person from requesting, agreeing to receive or receiving a financial or other advantage intending that, in consequence, a relevant function or activity should be performed improperly whether by that person receiving the bribe or by another person.
Bribery, under section 6(1)(a) of the Penal Code, is punishable by a fine of up to Ksh10 million, imprisonment for up to 20 years, or both.
