Joseph Kimani Machiri.
Joseph Kimari Machiri, the father of the prime suspect in Equity Bank’s Sh1.5 billion heist, who was abducted by gunmen during a raid on his home captured in CCTV cameras, was freed two days later.
Mr Kimari, a former Murang’a Member of the County Assembly (MCA), was on Sunday, August 11 abducted by gunmen dressed in tactical gear, believed to be police officers.
Earlier Sunday, his son, Mr David Machiri Kimani, had also been abducted from his home in Thogoto, Kiambu County.
Machiri, 39, is Equity Bank’s manager at the Group Processing Centre, Salary Processing Unit, whose credentials, detectives say, were used to steal Sh1,545,887,140.49 from the bank on July 10. He has been missing since.
However, his father, Mr Kimari, was released on Tuesday, August 13, but warned by his captors to never speak to the media or divulge details of his ordeal in captivity, Nation.Africa has established.
The politician, 60, had been picked from his home in Kairi village, Mathioya Constituency in Murang'a on the fateful night.
At the time, the family released CCTV footage of armed men in his compound. They later switched off the lights and Machiri was blindfolded as he was led away by his abductors.
Warned not to speak of ordeal
“I am glad to be alive and okay. I just don't have much to say but we appreciate the concern shown to me and my family," Mr Kimari said on Monday.
When asked to give details of what he went through while in the hands of his abductors, Mr Kimari declined to revisit his ordeal.
“When the right time comes, we will call you and talk about it. As we talk, I am travelling to Nairobi to run a few errands so I cannot talk much,” he said.
A family source told Nation.Africa that he was brought back home at 3am on Tuesday, August 13, in a convoy of more than five Subaru cars, which are mostly used by officers attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
The source said that the man was warned not to share any information with the media or give details of what happened to him while in captivity.
“He told us that he was taken to a forest which he does not know its location and he could hear lions roaring and hyenas laughing,” said the family source, adding that the experience he went through has affected him.
For days until he spoke to Nation.Africa on Monday to confirm he was free, the family had opted to comply with the orders citing the threats.
Machiri still missing
Equity Bank Manager David Machiri Kimani.
The family is still in distress as to the whereabouts of the son, Mr Machiri. Their lawyer Mr Ndegwa Njiru had raised concerns following the abduction of father and son, linking the abductions to the Sh1.5 billion fraud case.
“This is not the kind of Kenya people want, the rule of law should be respected," Mr Njiru said. The lawyer later protested in court asking that authorities be compelled to produce his clients.
Mr Machiri was first arrested in July and charged in court with defrauding Equity Bank Sh1.5 billion. He was released on bail and subsequently abducted on August 11.
When the alleged fraud took place on July 10, he was on leave but the bank reported that it was his credentials that were used to move the cash to various accounts in 47 transactions.
It was not immediately clear why NIS agents were involved in a fraud investigation that typically would be the mandate of local DCI and police officers.
Flurry of suspicious transactions
According to court papers, on July 10, the internal control department detected a flurry of suspect transactions from the bank’s salaries account.
According to the DCI, there were 47 withdrawals from the bank’s payroll account and the funds were quickly transferred to multiple accounts held in other banks.
All the transactions lacked corresponding credits from the source entities or individuals, which raised suspicion from the internal controls team reviewing the transactions for confirmation details.
After all the transactions were successfully processed, Sh1.5 billion had been funneled out of Equity Bank.
On July 11, the bank through the Head of Security Kevin Mwangi reported the matter to the Banking Fraud Investigation Unit at the DCI. Machiri, the manager whose electronic footprints were noted in the transactions, was summoned to record statements with the police.
Machiri was on leave when the suspicious activities were first detected, according to an affidavit filed at the Milimani Law court on July 12 by the investigating officer, Inspector Boniface Maina, attached to the DCI Banking Fraud Investigations Unit.
The DCI wanted the court’s permission to detain Machiri for 21 days to allow further investigations. However, the court declined the application and freed Machiri on bond.
He was subsequently abducted by hooded men from his house in Thogoto, Kiambu. Later that night, the armed men would raid his father’s home during an operation that was caught on camera.
Mr Njiru petitioned the court to order authorities to produce his clients in court. During the same court proceedings, the Director of Public Prosecutions also applied for warrants of arrest against the Equity Bank manager, Machiri.
The investigation into the bank heist has since been escalated to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters.
The probe was moved from the Banking Fraud Investigations Unit based at CBK Towers to DCI headquarters along Kiambu road for close supervision by DCI boss Mohammed Amin, Nation.Africa has established.
