Court issues arrest warrants against two in Sh2.2b tax evasion probe

A court in Nairobi has issued a warrant of arrest for businesswoman Mary Wambui and her daughter Purity Njoki Mungai for failure to appear before on Monday. [Jenipher Wachie, Standard]

A court in Nairobi has issued a warrant of arrest against a billionaire businesswoman and her daughter over alleged Sh2.2 billion tax evasion saga.

Anti-corruption court magistrate Felix Kombo ordered the arrest of Mary Wambui after she, alongside her daughter Purity Njoki Mungai, failed to show up to take a plea yesterday.

The magistrate said the Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji had served her with court summons but they failed to honour them.

In the High Court, Njoki and her other sister Everlyn Mungai had disowned their mother, saying she had illegally roped them as directors of Purma Holdings Limited.

Wambui's lawyer Sylvanus Osoro told the court she had been admitted to the hospital from November 29. However, the magistrate found there was no evidence to prove it.

The lawyer asked the court to allow Njoki 10 days to appear, arguing that she had not been served with summons.

Njoki had Nyambura sought for anticipatory bail before the High Court and disowned their mother.

The petitioners told Justice Cecilia Githua that their mother added them as directors of the firm when they were minors and without their consent.

Purma is said to be a supplier of Kenya military uniforms and camouflage materials.

Court records read that the Kenya Revenue Authority has been investigating Purma for two years.

On June 17, 2021, it wrote to the three requiring them to appear before its investigators to give information about the firm before June 28, failure to which they would be arrested and charged.

Nyambura and Njoki asked the court to give them anticipatory bail as they could be arrested, adding that KRA should wait for their mother to return and carry her own burden.

According to the company registration form filed in court, the firm’s nominal share capital is Sh1 million and the share value is 10,000 per share. It was incorporated on February 13, 1996.

The document indicates that Wambui is the sole director and secretary, holding 1,000 shares.

Wambui then transferred to Nyambura and Njoki 150 shares each worth Sh30,000. A transfer of shares or stock document, which is also produced in court, shows that both girls and their mother signed acknowledging the same.

To prove that they parted ways with their mother, Nyambura and Njoki attached a letter written on August 28, 2019, by Njoki to her mother saying she had called it quits for personal reasons.

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