Man before court for allegedly deceiving five people out of almost €208,000

A man charged with deceiving five separate alleged victims into transferring a combined total of almost €208,000 on various dates between February 2023 and January 2026, is expected to be returned for trial next month.

On January 14th of this year, Bright Banda (39), formerly of Meadow Lane, Roscommon Road, Athlone, County Roscommon, was remanded in custody with consent to bail subject to an independent surety of €10,000 as well as his own bond of €5,000.

An application before the High Court saw that independent surety reduced to €7,500. He has not yet been able to take up bail and remains in custody.

The court previously heard details of charges against Mr Banda relating to a single named victim in February and March of 2023. Since his arrest in January of this year, four more alleged victims have come forward with eight new charges brought before the court last week.

It was previously heard how, on February 13th, 2023, at an address on Sarsfield Square, Athlone, it is alleged that Mr Banda dishonestly by deception induced a woman to transfer €1,000 to his account in the belief she was giving him money to buy a white Volkswagen Polo car.

Two identical charges of €1,000 transfers arose on February 17th and March 31st, 2023, with the woman again believing she was transferring the money to help the accused purchase a car.

A further charge on March 31st, 2023 at Athlone Credit Union, alleges that Mr Banda induced the same woman to transfer €14,000 from her Credit Union account to his AIB account, with the reference “car balance”, and made her believe it was for his truck business in Malawi and that she would be repaid.

Last week Garda Gavin Conway further charged him with eight similar offences, pertaining to five separate named victims, including more allegations by the first named victim.

Mr Banda is now charged with dishonestly by deception inducing the same named victim to transfer funds via her Revolut account between February 1st, 2023, and November 15th, 2025, under the guise that she was helping him fund his business in Malawi, and causing her a loss of €105,939.83.

A further allegation by the same victim relates to the same date range, when Mr Banda is charged with inducing her to transfer funds via her AIB account, again believing she was helping his business in Malawi, and causing her a loss of €28,265.70. Both of those charges took place on Sarsfield Square, Athlone.

Mr Banda has also been charged with inducing a second named victim to transfer him a total of €3,000 on a date between January 23rd, 2025 and February 3,rd 2025, at an address in Athlone, with the alleged victim believing Mr Banda had purchased a vehicle for him.

Another charge relates to a date between April 1st, 2025 and November 1st, 2025 at Meadow Lane, Athlone, when it is alleged he deceived a third named victim into transferring him €1,500 via Revolut under the pretence that he had located a property in which she could reside.

Two charges relate to a fourth alleged named victim at an address in Ballymahon, County Longford. The first of those is alleged to have taken place between January 2nd and November 7th, 2024, when it is alleged he deceived the man into transferring him €7,700 via Bitcoin, believing that Mr Banda had purchased two vehicles for him.

The second of those charges is alleged to have taken place between October 10th and December 10th, 2024, when the same victim alleges he was induced to transfer €7,500 to the accused via Revolut, again under the impression Mr Banda had purchased two vehicles for him.

The final two charges relate to a fifth named victim on dates between October 1st, 2025, and January 7th, 2026, at an address in Kilbarrack, Dublin 13. Mr Banda is charged with dishonestly, by deception, inducing a woman to transfer €32,206.22 via Wise money transfer app, which she believed was to invest in a number of Air BnB businesses.

The second charge relating to that victim alleges she was induced to transfer €4,225.10 via Revolut, again with the belief she was investing in an Air BnB business.

The total amount transferred by the five alleged victims comes to €207,336.85.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has directed trial on indictment, and Sergeant Paul McNally informed the court that a book of evidence should be ready for service on Mr Banda on June 3rd next. Mr Banda was remanded in custody with consent to bail until that date.

*Published as part of the Courts Reporting Scheme