The eleven accused persons were Bank of Sierra Leone staff, and they were accused by the Sierra Leone Police for conspiring to defraud the state, by facilitating the unofficial movement of huge million leones, including foreign currencies like United State dollars and British pounds sterling.
All the accused were also indicted for ensuring the unofficial movement of the said local and foreign currencies to private individuals by making false representation at the bank, when the bank was engaged in it normal auction exercise.
The police prosecutor-ASP Samuel Kamara, led in evidence the complainant Ibrahim Bah told the court that between 1 April 2017 and 12 July 2017, a certain Alusine informed him that he had friend who have three hundred thousand United State dollars for sale.
According to him, he enquired from Alusine whether the above stated United State dollars his friend wanted to sell was a genuine transaction, stating that in his presence ,Alusine telephoned somebody at the Bank of Sierra Leone called Abdul Ibrahim Samai who is the second accused in the ongoing court matter.
He informed the well attended court session that he also spoke with the second accused person on his mobile phone who confirmed to him that he had three hundred thousand United States dollars for sale.
The complainant, Ibrahim Bah further testified that after the second accused had confirmed the transaction, he requested Alusine, his brother called Chernoh to accompany him to the Bank of Sierra Leone, where Alusine introduced the second accused to him as manager of the bank
He further narrated that he was later taken to the office of the second accused, after he had withdrew the sum of two billion, two hundred and thirty five thousand leones from the same bank.
The witness explained that he took the said money to the office of the second accused, and whiles he was asking him for more confirmation with regards the transaction from second accused, the first accused, Cecilia Ben Care met them and assured him that they would be able to facilitate the transaction in foreign currency, since the bank was engaged in it normal auction exercise.
‘Since second accused have instructed first accused to handle the transaction handed over the two billion, two hundred and thirty five thousand leones to the second accused, Abdul Ibrahim Samai who had told him that the transaction was going to be done on the same day,’ the witness stated.
He further disclosed that whiles he was in the office of the second accused, the first accused, Cecilia Ben Carew entered and gave him one hundred thousand United States dollars, adding that when he requested for his balance payment, the first accused begged him to be patient as she was working on the process.
The witness continued that the first accused later returned with one hundred thousand United States dollars and informed him that the bank had closed it auction exercise, and that he should collect his balance payment the following day.
At this stage of the transaction, Ibrahim Bah told his audience that second accused signed and issued a receipt to him in respect of the transaction, and on the following day he went to the bank and the first accused made another payment to him in the sum of sixty thousand United States dollars.
At this juncture, the police prosecutor, ASP Samuel Kamara requested for an adjournment which was granted by the presiding magistrate, Albert Moody, before admitting all the accused persons on bail.
The matter was adjourned to 13 September 2017.
