The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has arraigned Mr. Evans Agumba Oriato, a Compliance Officer at the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), over allegations of soliciting and receiving a Kes 500,000 bribe from a secondary school in Kisumu.
According to EACC, investigations revealed that the officer, who is based in Kisumu, demanded the bribe as an inducement to “assist” Jane Memorial Secondary School in filing tax returns for the years 2016 to 2020.
The Commission said the matter came to light after the school reported that the suspect had summoned them to his office to discuss filing of nil returns.
On December 31, 2021, Oriato allegedly demanded Kes 1 million to help resolve what he claimed were “irregularities” and received a down payment of Kes 500,000, promising to complete the process once the balance was paid.
However, after the suspect allegedly persisted in demanding the remaining amount, the complainants reported the matter to EACC’s Western Regional Office in Kisumu.
Acting swiftly, detectives from the Commission conducted a sting operation that led to the arrest of the officer while he was receiving Kes 250,000.
He was processed at the EACC offices and later released on a cash bail of Kes 100,000 pending further action.
Upon completion of investigations, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) reviewed the evidence and approved the charges.
The suspect was subsequently arraigned before the Kisumu Anti-Corruption Court and charged with three counts of receiving a bribe, contrary to Section 6(1) as read with Section 18(1) and (2) of the Anti-Bribery Act No. 47 of 2016.
Mr. Oriato denied the charges and was released on a bond of Kes 500,000 with a surety of a similar amount.
EACC stated that the operation forms part of a nationwide crackdown on bribery and unethical practices in government offices aimed at improving access to quality and corruption-free public services.
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