Petrol station owner charged with tax Smuggling

A proprietor of a petrol station in Moyale town in Marsabit County has been charged with smuggling of uncustomed fuel and other related counts at the Isiolo law courts.

Jibril Ahmed Nache, a proprietor of Bismilahi Petrol Station faced a total of four counts including evasion of payment of duty, procuring and storage of uncustomed goods, operating unlicensed petroleum facility and selling nonconforming petroleum products.

These actions constitute offences under the East African Community Customs Management Act, 2014 and the Petroleum Act, 2019. The regulations are being enforced by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) and Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).

The accused person was arrested on 2nd August 2020 after 15,000 litres of diesel sold to Seal Oilry East Africa Limited were intercepted while being transported on a truck along Moyale-Isiolo road.

The businessman denied the charges and was released on a bond of Kshs.1 million and a surety of a similar amount.

If convicted, the accused shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or to a fine equal to fifty per cent of the dutiable value of the goods involved, or both.

Smuggling of cheap petroleum products from the neighbouring country leads to loss of revenue, availability of substandard products for sale in the local market and unfair competition to genuine businesses in the sector.