DNK International By Our Correspondent,Nairobi.
A Standard Chartered Bank official has struggled to explain before the court how a fraudulent account was opened and operated by another party in the guise of a company’s account without conducting due diligence.
The proxy account was allegedly opened using the identity card of an unsuspected individual, one Nancy Nanjira Odhungo, 34, who, the court heard, is of unsound mind and could not operate the account.
The bank official, Amos Wambua admitted before the court that the said account was opened as a personal account, not for the purpose of the company’s transaction, as it was alleged earlier.
Testifying before the Milimani Principal Magistrate Paul Mutai, Wambua admitted that when the said account was opened, it was for personal purposes since no company resolution was produced.
“The account in the name of Nancy Nanjira Odhungo was opened as a personal account, not for the company’s transactions,” he told the court.
The revelation was unearthed by the defence lawyer Lewis Kanyoko during cross-examination in a case where Brian Reeve Obare is accused of obtaining millions of shillings by pretence.
Kanyoko produced a psychiatric report before the court from Nakuru County Referral and Teaching Hospital dated March 10, 2026, detailing the condition of Odhungo, and questions arise how, under her condition could have opened and operated a bank account.
According to the report signed by Dr Wafula, he indicated that Odhungo was presented in the facility in 2016 and in December 2024, where he confirmed the condition remains the same.
“Nancy Nanjira has an active schizoaffective disorder that is poorly managed. Therefore, she is not fit to testify in her current state and is advised to resume antipsychotic medication to suppress the symptoms.,” Dr Wafula indicated in the report.
The lawyer alleged that the said account was opened by another person who is not Odhungo, but used her identity card since the email address and telephone number belong to one of the directors of Golden Key Company, which is alleged to have been defrauded.
The lawyer indicated before the court that “The alleged owner of the account is said to be of unsound mind. How could she open an account without disclosing the said information? There is a possibility that another person impersonated her (Odhungo) and presented suspicious documents to open the account.”
Due to these questions, the lawyer indicated that Golden Key company lacks any bank account to substantiate that they are the complainants in the case where it claims to have been defrauded more than Sh50 million by the accused in the Canadian visa scam.
[DNK-International@June 11,2026]
