The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) detectives have been granted permission by the Milimani Law Court to access controversial Pastor Ezekiel Odero’s 15 bank accounts.
The detectives moved to court on Monday, May 8 to request permission to access the bank accounts, asserting that large sums of money suspected to be proceeds of illegal cash had been transferred into the accounts from victims who were allegedly radicalized to sell their properties.
"It is necessary and desirable to issue the applicant with a warrant to investigate books of bank and mobile money services accounts so as to authorize the officer to have access to books relating to several account numbers," the DCI told the court.
Some of the accounts are from Equity Bank, Cooperative Bank, KCB, NCBA, and HFC Bank.
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The DCI sleuths were also granted permission to investigate Pastor Ezekiel’s seven M-Pesa accounts.
The order comes days after Pastor Ezekiel through his lawyer Danstan Omari moved to move to court to block the DCI from accessing and freezing his accounts.
“In the interim and pending the hearing and determination of this application, this honourable court be pleased to issue a conservatory order temporarily restraining the respondents from taking adverse action against Odero or New Life Prayer Center and Church including the freezing of the church accounts in Cooperative Bank and NCBA bank," Omari told the Court.
The televangelist was released on May 4 after Shanzu Court Senior Principal Magistrate Joe Omido granted him a Ksh3 million bond with an alternative cash bail of Ksh1.5 million.
He was however barred from making any comments regarding the Shakahola massacre while investigations continue.
