In today’s court news, Esther Bitutu Kadiki, suspected of being an agent for a criminal gang operating in Nairobi, appeared before Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina at the Milimani Law Courts.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) presented a miscellaneous application seeking to detain her for 21 days as they finalize investigations before handing the case over to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
According to the DCI, Kadiki is under investigation following a complaint filed by Equity Bank on July 11, 2024. The bank alleges that she was involved in a series of fraudulent debit transactions that resulted in a loss of Ksh 1,449,465,831.29.
Equity Bank claims the stolen funds were distributed to various non-Equity Bank accounts, with false transaction descriptions used to disguise the origin and movement of the money within their system. Investigators say a portion of the embezzled funds was traced to a bank account allegedly held by Kadiki.
The DCI told the court that Kadiki is part of a sophisticated and well-organized criminal network. Members of the group reportedly have specific roles, including infiltrating bank systems, recruiting insiders from Equity Bank, and enlisting proxy individuals and shell companies to facilitate the laundering of stolen funds.
Preliminary findings by the DCI identified Kadiki as a key figure in the operation. She is alleged to have recruited the proxy companies and individuals whose accounts were used to clean the illicit funds.
Investigators requested more time to detain the suspect, citing the need to locate witnesses who have strong social connections with her.
The court is expected to deliver a ruling on the detention request tomorrow afternoon
