Mohamed J Kargbo
On Monday, May 20, 2024, Musa Joseph Sesay and Joshua Gbanyah appeared before Magistrate Sahr Kekura at Court No.1 on Pademba Road, Freetown, facing 24 charges in connection with a significant fraud case at Bloom Bank Sierra Leone Limited.
The charges include 10 counts of Larceny by Servant under Section 17(1)(a) of the Larceny Act 1916, 12 counts of Causing Money to be Paid by False Pretenses under Section 32(1) of the Larceny Act 1916, one count of Forgery of Documents under Section 4(1) of the Forgery Act 1913, one count of Uttering Forged Documents under Section 6(1)(2) of the Forgery Act 1913, and one count of Conspiracy to Defraud.
The indictment states that between January 2, 2023, and August 31, 2023, Human Resource Officer Musa Joseph Sesay and College of Excellent and Digital student Joshua Gbanyah conspired with unknown persons to defraud Bloom Bank Sierra Leone Limited of 619,000 new Leones.
Sesay is accused of stealing this amount, designated for EDSA bill payments, over various dates between January and October 2023. Gbanyah allegedly caused the bank to pay the same amount to Tamba Pessima, falsely presented as an EDSA agent, between October and November 2023.
Additionally, Gbanyah is charged with forging a College of Digital Excellent statement of result and uttering the forged document on October 16, 2023.
Defense lawyers Leon Jenkins Johnston and Charles Pujeh applied for bail, but Inspector Mabel Tarawally objected. The court remanded the accused until Wednesday, May 22, 2024.
