A Nairobi court has issued a warrant of arrest against a liquor dealer who failed to show up in court on Friday for a plea in over Sh2,571,863 tax evasion case.
Nicholas Wanjohi Matu is wanted to take part in a plea for a charge of conveying excisable goods affixed with counterfeit excise stamps contrary to the Excise Duty Act and Excisable Goods Management System Regulations, 2017.
Wanjohi was arrested on June 30, 2023, while conveying 600 cartons containing 20,660 pieces of liquor affixed with counterfeit excise stamps.
He was arrested along the Thika-Garrisa highway.
On Friday, Milimani senior principal magistrate Gilbert Shikwe issued the warrant to be executed by the Capitol Hill Police Station commander.
The case will be mentioned on November 15.
Meanwhile, Geoffrey Kamau Chege and John Njuguna Nduati were also charged with counts of having an uncustomed motor vehicle and obtaining motor vehicle registration by false pretence contrary to the East Africa Community Customs Management Act, 2004 and to the Penal Code respectively.
They were arrested following intelligence-led investigations by DCI and KRA officers on the Toyota Hiace that was indicated to have been imported to South Sudan on August 2, 2018, before it was brought back to Kenya through Uganda on August 4, 2018, allegedly for mechanical repairs before it was fraudulently registered.
Reportedly, Chege first owned the car before he advanced it to Nduati as collateral for a loan he obtained from him (Nduati).
The two denied the charges before Senior Principal Magistrate Esther Kimilu and were granted a bond of Sh500,000 with alternative cash bail of Sh100,000.
