Musa Joseph Sesay, Human Resource Officer at Bloom Bank Sierra Leone Limited, and Joshua Gbanyah, a student at the College of Digital Excellence (CODE), appeared before Pademba Road Court No. 1 on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. They are accused of embezzling six hundred and nineteen thousand new Leones (NLe 619,000) from the aforementioned bank.
The aforementioned suspects face forty-two charges, encompassing conspiracy, larceny by servant, inducing payment under false pretenses, and forgery, all in contravention of Sierra Leonean law.
The indictment asserts that between January 2, 2023, and March 31, 2024, Sesay misappropriated funds allocated for electricity bill payments to the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA) on multiple instances during his tenure as HR Officer at Bloom Bank. Gbanyah is alleged to have facilitated a fraudulent scheme involving the payment of NLe 619,000 to Tamba Pessima, falsely presented as an EDSA agent.
Additionally, Gbanyah purportedly forged documents from CODE, including a statement of results bearing his name and ID number, which law enforcement claims to be falsified.
No pleas were entered upon the reading of the charges. Initially, the defendants were arraigned on twenty-four counts, subsequently amended to forty-two by request of Prosecutor ASP Ibrahim Mansaray, granted by the court.
Defense counsel Charles Pujeh raised concerns regarding the increase in charges, noting the initial lesser number. Magistrate Kekura clarified that the amendment pertained to altering dates on the charge sheet, not the addition of new charges.
The prosecutor then requested an adjournment for further clarification from the bank.
Both accused remain on bail, and the proceedings have been adjourned to March 28, 2025.
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