By Mamajah Jalloh
Freetown, Sierra Leone – On Thursday, 21st November 2024, Issa Sesay, a 27-year-old teacher, appeared before Magistrate Santigie Bangura of Pademba Road Court No. 2 to answer two charges of larceny contrary to Section 2 of the Larceny Act of 1916.
The accused is alleged to have stolen a total of Le2,770,000 between 5th and 10th July 2024, from Union Trust Bank Sierra Leone Limited, located in Magburaka Town, Tonkolili, Northern Province. In addition to the first charge, a second count accuses Sesay of stealing a sum of Le135,066.26 from the same bank.
When the charges were read and explained, Issa Sesay pleaded not guilty to the allegations.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Dialla Wellington led the prosecution and called the first witness, Augustine A. Manga, the Head of Compliance at Union Trust Bank. Manga testified that he is familiar with the accused, who is a customer of the bank. He described a series of transactions that occurred between 5th and 10th July 2024, when the accused accessed a corporate facility from the bank that allowed him to transfer funds without physically visiting the bank.
Manga explained that on 5th July 2024, Sesay debited the bank’s general ledger and credited his mobile wallet. However, on attempting to transfer the money to various customers on 6th July, he encountered a system limit which blocked the transaction. Manga continued to explain that on the following Monday, Sesay managed to debit his mobile wallet and credit his account at Sierra Leone Commercial Bank, but the bank noticed a significant amount of money had been moved from Union Trust Bank’s system to the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank.
Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the accused had transferred the sum of Le2,770,000, but when the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank was contacted, only Le2,634,933.34 was returned, leaving a balance of Le135,066.00 unaccounted for.
As a result, the matter was reported to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), who have since taken over the case.
The defence lawyer, A. Kamara Esq., cross-examined the prosecution’s witness, but despite this, Magistrate Bangura refused bail and remanded the accused to the male correctional facility in Freetown.
The case was adjourned to 28th November 2024 for further proceedings.
