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 an unlicensed petroleum facility and selling non- conforming petroleum products.
“These actions constitute offences under the East African Community Customs Management Act, 2019. The regulations are being enforced by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), and the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA),” the KRA said in a statement.
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 Ksh1 million bond 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 percent 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.
