Kenya is suffering the consequences of a tax evasion opulent strategy led by Deepak Rajoriya, Director of Oki General Trading Kenya Limited, who has been exposed as the master of a multimillion-dollar fraud plan.
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) police intervention has uncovered a fraud scheme that includes the illegal import of perfumes that cost more than 300,000 USD (39 million KSh) but only 2 million KSh in duty was paid – a very small part of the proper tax.
The inquiry establishes that Rajoriya too, by teaming up with Karan Badlani, a director of Satnam Limited, not only engaged in operating numerous shell companies like Satnam Limited, and Satnam Kenya Investment Limited but also in fabricating the documentation of the import to trick the watch and evade the traffic flow.
The plot wasn’t a mishap but a part of a scheme to transfer the money overseas while the people were left to pay the tax shortfall.In addition, it is claimed that in order to break the law easily, Badlani resided in Kenya without a valid visa for more than two and a half years.
The Rajoriya–Badlani duo stands accused of deliberately devising a network designed to undermine the tax system in Kenya, with Rajoriya faking import documents and Badlani being the smokescreen created by a rotating cast of shell companies.
As a result, each fraudulent consignment cleared under this scheme is but one of the ways these thieves steal government resources—money that should be going to hospitals, schools, roads, and jobs instead is used to support the extravagant lifestyles of these criminals. Experts pinpoint such actions as economic sabotage and caution that these ploys can wreak havoc on the already delicate financial situation of Kenya. KRA must now respond, and do so decisively.
The experts vary in their recommendations but all are unanimous in the requirement that the authority imposes severe tax penalties on Oki General Trading, takes legal action against Rajoriya, Badlani, and their conspiracy partners for deceit, forgery, and economic sabotage, seizes and arrests meanwhile along with the blacklisting of their companies for being no longer an operator in Kenya.
“Kenya is not a place for villains playing corporate fronts,” said a tax policy analyst. “The time for the tax evading masterminds shall no longer exist, beginning with Rajoriya, Badlani as well as Oki General Trading being held totally accountable.”
As Kenya is fighting to save its economy, KRA has the opportunity to demonstrate its strength and confirm a clear message that the times of tax evasion shall not go on any longer.
