A former assistant manager at NCBA bank, Kisii branch suspected to have stolen Sh 47 million from customers has been released on bail pending conclusion of investigations.
Chief Magistrate Susan Shitubi granted Philip Kiprono Rotich a bond of Sh 1 million with alternative cash bail of Sh 500,000.
Rotich, the assistant branch Operations Manager (on suspension) was arraigned in court under a miscellaneous application where police sought orders to detain him for 10 days to allow them to conclude investigations.
The magistrate ruled that it had not been demonstrated that Rotich is at flight risk nor will interfere with investigations.
“For reasons stated above, I find that the respondent may be released on bond while investigations are ongoing,” CM Shitubi ruled.
Rotich will also have to be reporting to the investigating officer every two weeks starting 26th November.
The case will be mentioned on 4th December 2024.
According to the application, a report was made by Noah Cheptumo, Head of Security NCBA Bank, that between November 2023 and October 2024, the respondent was a staff of the NCBA Bank Kisii Branch in the position of Assistant Branch Operations Manager.
Having worked in the same branch for over nine years, Rotich allegedly orchestrated a fraud by taking advantage bestowed to him by the big clients of the branch and his colleagues, leading to a loss of over Sh 47 million.
According to an affidavit by Chief Inspector Johnson Kioli of the Banking Fraud Investigations Unit (BFIU) Rotich would receive instructions from the clients to transfer funds internally through bank transfer but would divert the funds and credit the them into different bank accounts of his cohorts.
The court heard that at the end tail, the funds would return to him either through his personal bank account No. 1165329999 domiciled at KCB Bank of Kenya, Personal Salary account No. 1003206617 domiciled at NCBA and through mobile banking platform on mobile phone Numbers 0726846419 and 0704238577.
The investigator added that the bank continues to receive more complaints from its clients at the Kisii Branch.
“There are fears that the amount might go higher as the investigations continue. Additionally, the respondent while on suspension continues to defraud customers, taking the advantage that the customers know that he is still on duty,” CI Kioli stated.
In addition, the officer added that it is imperative for him to collect specimen signatures for all the transaction slips of the affected bank accounts between the period the fraud was committed and subject them to the forensic analysis.
“The slips and documents relevant to the fraud are bulky and need careful analysis to unearth the crime and build a case against the respondent,” he noted.
The court also heard that there is need for the investigating officer, after establishment of the paper trail to asset trace the properties of the respondents together with his accomplices deemed to be proceeds of crime.
On further internal investigations, it is alleged that the security team unearthed that rotich opened personal bank accounts using personal documents fetched from his friends.
For instance, bank account No. 6032310017 in the name of Jonadette Kerubo Nyanchani which received credits of Sh 4 million and funds transferred to the respondent’s cohorts bank accounts yet Nyanchani disputed opening such a bank account.
“It is my prayer to this honorable court to remand the respondent at Kileleshwa Police Station for ten (10) days to allow the applicant to complete the investigations, collect all the documents, record statements, verify the identity of the suspects involved and prefer charges against the respondent,” officer Kioli said.
