A Kenya Revenue Authority officer was on Thursday put to task over his role in the investigations of a corruption case involving Kitutu Chache MP Richard Onyonka.
James Wainaina had a hectic time before the MP's counsel led by lawyer Richard Onsongo and Steve Orina over his investigation findings linking Mr Onyonka to the Sh21 million sugar purchase fraud.
Onyonka who was charged together with former Kitutu Chache CDF Chairman George Siro of conspiracy to defraud the public off Sh21,250,628 through fraudulent purchase of sugar from Chemelil Sugar Company on April 23, 2008.
On May 12, when the case came to court for hearing before Senior Principal Magistrate Thomas Obutu, Mr Wainaina was put to task over the KRA report that recommended that the MP alongside other traders and enterprises be prosecuted on fraud charges in line with the Anti-Corruption Act.
Wainaina told court that KRA had lost up to Sh18 million of the VAT that the MP purportedly withheld for tax remittance.
He said these caused Chemelil Sugar Company to sell sugar to the traders at a price of less value hence denying the authority opportunity to raise genuine revenue from the purchase.
“We recommended that the MP be prosecuted alongside the traders because the withholding VAT certificates given to KRA by Chemelil Sugar Company had an impression stamp with his name. We intended to recover the lost VAT plus the interest incurred,” Wainaina said.
During the cross examination, Onyonka’s lead counsel, Onsongo, sort to know if the KRA officer was in knowledge of the amount of money that left the Kitutu Chache CDF account towards the purchase of sugar to which he denied any knowledge.