A court has, on Thursday, December 11, convicted a man of stealing Ksh1.6 million through unlawful internet banking transfers.
The court found that the accused had activated online banking without authorisation and used it to withdraw funds from the complainant's account over a period of two years. He was fined Ksh100,000 or, in default, sentenced to three years in prison, with 14 days granted for appeal.
The magistrate ruled that he had unlawfully converted the money for personal use, noting that digital audit trails and bank records linked each transaction directly to the online platform he had set up.
“I sentence the accused to a fine of Ksh100,000 or, in default, three years’ imprisonment, and the complainant is directed to file a case for the recovery of the money under the Small Claims Court,” the magistrate ruled.
The court further held that the explanation he offered, that the money had been given to him as a loan, lacked any supporting evidence.
Investigations revealed that the man had developed a rapport with the complainant after presenting himself as a salesman. Through this relationship, he gained access to business operations and later used that access to initiate the unauthorised transfers.
According to testimony, the transfers were executed between 2018 and 2020 and went undetected until discrepancies emerged in routine financial checks.
Officers from the financial institution confirmed that the banking profile used to carry out the withdrawals had been activated secretly and without the complainant's consent.
The prosecution detailed how the funds were routed into an account registered in his name, prompting the complainant to report the matter once the irregularities became clear.
Digital forensics and transaction logs formed a significant part of the evidence tabled before the court, supporting the charge of theft through illegal electronic transfers.
The case proceeded to a full hearing after the man denied the charges, but the court concluded that the pattern of transactions and the absence of any legitimate arrangement pointed to deliberate misappropriation.
The judgment brought an end to a case that had drawn on financial statements, electronic records, and witness testimony to establish how the unauthorised online banking setup enabled the loss of KSh 1.6 million.
