The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has flagged suspicious payments linked to the National Youth Service (NYS)— suggesting that fraudulent payments are still rampant at the agency.
In a petition filed on Thursday, the commission sought to freeze an account belonging to a trader who reported to the EACC that some money was deposited into her account on two occasions between December and February, 2020.
EACC said preliminary investigations established the funds remitted to the account of Emily Nyambura were not supported by any documentation. “The commission reasonably suspects that the said sum is public property being embezzled by public officials at the National Youth Service through remittance to the respondent’s bank account,” the application stated.
Court documents showed that some Sh1,895,366 was credited to Ms Nyambura’s account on December 30 for alleged supply of bread to the agency. Ms Nyambura, who is also a trader, said she was however shocked to receive the money yet she had not made supplies to NYS.
She instructed her bank, Kenya Commercial Bank, Ruiru branch, to reverse the transaction. This was done but on February 20, another amount of Sh1,862,687 was remitted into her account, yet she had not supplied anything to the NYS.
Ms Nyambura said she has never transacted with NYS.
The Commission moved to court to freeze the account to enable investigators probe the payments. “It is imperative that the commission preserves the said public funds by prohibiting the respondents, her agents, servants or any other person from withdrawing or transferring the money,” the application stated.
A number of traders and senior government officials are currently in court over alleged fraudulent payments at NYS.
In the scam that came to be known as NYS I, some Sh791 million was allegedly siphoned out through fraudulent payments to six companies.
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