Some of the unresolved complaints at the Diamond Trust Bank and why DTB is unresponsive on the Sh275K heist
A former branch manager, her assistant, and a third suspect were charged with 68 counts of theft, forgery, and money laundering after allegedly siphoning Sh149 million from a customer's account through fabricated instruction letters, fictitious withdrawal slips, and fraudulent emails over five years
1. Sh149 million insider fraud at Parklands branch (2026)
A former branch manager, her assistant, and a third suspect were charged with 68 counts of theft, forgery, and money laundering after allegedly siphoning Sh149 million from a customer's account through fabricated instruction letters, fictitious withdrawal slips, and fraudulent emails over five years, from 2016 to 2021. Substantial sums were allegedly taken from customer Rozina Nurdin Patelia's account, with additional funds allegedly stolen from the bank itself, including GBP 233,270 (~Sh40.5 million) taken between July 2019 and June 2020. The case returns to court in June 2026.
2. SIM swap fraud liability ruling (2026)
Kenya's High Court in Machakos ruled DTB must bear 40% liability for KES 4.42 million fraudulently withdrawn from customer Mercy Wairimu Kariuki's account after a SIM swap in 2022 — even though she had already reported and resolved the SIM issue with Safaricom before the theft. The court found the bank's system waved through an unusual fraud pattern without human review, which is no longer a valid defense for lenders.
Filed underDTB, Kenya, Fraud, CBK, Cofek
