A Chinese national, Mr. Gao Fei, was on Tuesday charged at the Milimani Law Courts for tax evasion amounting to approximately Ksh194 million.
Mr. Gao Fei is the director of New X-TIGI Technology. He was accused of failing to pay value-added tax (VAT) for the year 2015 to June 2016. He was further accused of failing to submit tax returns for the year 2016, as required under the Tax Procedures Act of 2015.
He denied the charges before Senior Resident Magistrate Caroline Nzibe, and was released on a cash bail of Kshs 150,000, and a surety of Kshs 1 million. He was also ordered to deposit his passport in court.
He is scheduled to appear in court on 26th September 2019.
X-tigi’s woes started way back in September 2016, when Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) accused them of failing to pay tax for their imported goods into the country, wanting their accounts to be frozen. The director was also accused of having regular fund transfers to a bank in Hong Kong as profits and income derived from the business.
X-Tigi deals with both wholesale and distribution of Chinese mobile phones, X-Tigi brands, chargers, phone covers, earphones, and other allied accessories, with operations in Ghana, Cameroon, and Kenya.
Cases of Chinese Nationals charged with tax evasion have been on the rise in the country, with another having been arraigned at a Mombasa court on 20th August 2019, in relation to a Kshs 1.3 Billion tax evasion case.
Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) detectives accused Miao Yi, of Nippo Suppliers Company, of providing contradicting details about the actual income of the firm. The detectives said the amount deposited in the firm’s bank accounts differed with the taxes filed.
