A police officer counts "fine" for the car he's leaning against after the traffic officer who impounded it demanded 10,000 SSP for its release in April 2019 at Buluk | Credit | Ayuen Panchol/Eye Radio

The Director-General of Traffic Police has reminded motorists not to pay fines to traffic police officers until decided by a court of law.

A new directive issued yesterday states it is illegal to hand over money to an officer on duty without a court directive.

This applies to those charged with offences such as driving tinted glass vehicles and using expired logbooks.

According to Major-General Kon John Akot, vehicles with tinted glasses should only be detained unless the owner has permission to use them.

He directed that expired licenses or logbooks shall be withdrawn from the owners.

Akot further advised traffic police officers to detain anyone found selling a black sticker for tined vehicles.

The letter, dated September 6, 2020, and signed by Maj.Gen. Kon John Akot said it will now be a requirement to “open a case against the people who are still violating rules and regulations of traffic after the detention of their properties.”

Last year, the parliament and activists described any crackdown on tinted vehicles as “irresponsible, dangerous and unlawful” – especially after the then Interior Minister, Michael Chanyjiek ordered the organized forces to gun down the motorists.

Motorists were charged  5,000 SSP for the tinted license and 20,000 SSP for the sticker in 2019.

The traffic police administration headed by Major-General John Akot is currently under serious scrutiny by the Presidential Economic Crisis Committee which accuses it of not accounting for revenues collected through number plates, licenses, and logbooks -for years.

In May 2019, the former Commissioner-General of the National Revenue Authority said he could not guarantee whether money collected by the traffic police officers on a regular basis was being remitted to the Single Treasury Account.