Detectives from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), on Wednesday, July 1, pounced on a senior Kenya Revenue Authority official and his driver after the two allegedly pocketed a bribe from a Tanzanian.
A report by KBC indicated that the two had impounded a car that was being driven by Ms Zamda Swaleh after she could not produce its documentation.
The two were identified as Albert Bett, who is the deputy officer in charge of KRA in Kilifi County and his driver, Joel Zaddock.
Upper Coast EACC Manager Ignatius Wekesa confirmed that the two proceeded to demand Ksh 20,000 from the complainant who gave them a downpayment of Ksh 10,000.
“One of the complainants came to our offices in Malindi and reported the matter, prompting us to commence investigations that led to the arrest of the two KRA officials who had already received a down payment of Ksh 10,000 being part of the money they had asked for," Wekesa noted.
According to the EACC official, Zamda Swaleh accompanied by her husband had filed a complaint that the two officers had demanded a bribe of Sh20,000 to release her vehicle which had been impounded.
The two were booked at Malindi Police Station where they spent Wednesday night.
They had impounded the vehicle on Wednesday, June 24, and police carried their investigations before making the arrests a week later.
"I know that many Kenyans would like to use shortcuts to get freedom whenever they are caught on the wrong side of the law, but let me warn them that the law will also catch up with them if they are found giving bribes,” Wekesa later warned the public.
This comes just a day after a former manager of KRA, together with his wife, was charged with failure to file taxes amounting to Ksh38 million.
Joseph Chege Gikonyo, alongside his wife Lucy Kangai Stephen, had earlier on been found with more than Ksh500 million wealth whose source he could not explain.
EACC sleuths noted that they found the couple amassed Ksh597,457,059 in just five years between 2010 and 2015.
