Court freezes Governor Joho’s bank account pending assessment by KRA

Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho has been barred from transferring funds from his CFC Stanbic Bank account until the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) completes his tax returns assessment.

The said order will remain in force for a period of 30 days.

The orders were granted after KRA moved to court seeking the prohibitive order against Governor Joho claiming that he has not filed any returns since the year 2014.

The court heard that despite declaring nil tax returns, the governor is the registered owner of two high-end motor vehicles, a Rolls Royce KBR 001R and a Porsche Cayenne KCC 001J.

The petitioner told the court that it is apparent that the respondent has been in receipt of income in respect of which no taxes have been charged, adding that the commission intends to assess his income and issue a tax assessment report.

The court further heard that Joho has an interest in several companies, adding that there are no known assets in his name that may be used to recover the taxes once the assessments have been finalised.