A group of concerned stakeholders have made public their plans to hold a demonstration against Absa Bank Limited following a costly data breach that saw the financial giant leak confidential information to third parties.
Addressing the Mombasa County Police Commander, the civil society group named Capital Youth Caucus Association (CYA) sought permission to proceed with the said peaceful exercise on Monday 21st November 2022.
“ABSA Bank should stop selling customer information and bank statements, they should stop asking for kickbacks and bribes from small businesses to get loans,” the letter dated Friday, 11th November 2022, reads in part.
Adding: “The likes of Sophie Omondi, Wycliff Makori and senior bank staff should be sent home. Oath to secrecy especially to banking staff should be paramount.”
The new development comes just days after the Mombasa High Court ordered Absa bank to pay a transport firm Sh1.5 billion as compensation for allegedly leaking its confidential information to third parties and financial sabotage.
The order was issued after the bank failed to defend the case filed by New Mega Africa Ltd in which it was claiming billions for suffering losses due to negligence by the financial institution. negligence.
“The defendant herein having been duly served and having failed to file a defence within the stipulated period of time, and upon application of the plaintiff’s advocate, I enter interlocutory judgment as prayed,” the judgment signed by Deputy Registrar reads in part.
The company transports clinker from Kenya to Tororo, Uganda for the manufacture and processing of cement and other related products within the East African region.
Through its director David Abai, the firm alleged that the bank refused to approve its loan request on time crippling its business.
Mr Abai also lamented that the leaking of the firm’s financial statement scared lenders, who refused to lend the firm money on an account that it had gone broke and lacked the financial capability to service loans.
He also alleged that due to the leakage, the firm’s creditors and other suppliers descended upon it thereby seriously interrupting the business operations to the extent of almost grounding it.
The claimant further complained that the bank failed to maintain the secrecy of the client’s account by printing its financial statements without authority or consent and sharing the same with strangers without its express consent.
He argued that the bank’s failure to act on his requisition for over six months amounts to financial sabotage.
CNYAKUNDI.COM will cover the Monday’s protest.
