By Mamajah Jalloh
On Thursday, November 21, 2024, Issa Sesay, a 27-year-old teacher, made another appearance before Magistrate Santigie Bangura at the Pademba Road Court No. 2 in Freetown. Sesay faces two counts of larceny contrary to Section 2 of the Larceny Act of 1916. The allegations stem from incidents between July 5 and July 10, 2024, in Magburaka Town, Tonkolili District, Northern Province.
According to the prosecution, Sesay allegedly stole a total of Le 2,770,000 from Union Trust Bank Sierra Leone Limited. He is further accused of stealing an additional Le 135,066.26 from the same bank. When the charges were read in court, the accused pleaded not guilty.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Dialla Wellington led the prosecution, calling Augustine A. Manga, Head of Compliance at Union Trust Bank, as the first witness. Manga testified that Sesay, a customer of the bank, used a facility known as Union Trust Bank Corpor, which enables customers to make payments to third parties without visiting the bank physically. Manga explained that this facility allows customers to debit their main account and credit their mobile wallet, generating a code for third-party encashments.
Manga detailed that on July 5, 2024, Sesay successfully debited Union Trust Bank’s general ledger and credited his mobile wallet. On July 6, Sesay attempted to send the funds to third parties but was unsuccessful due to the system’s transaction limit of Le 5,000. By the following Monday, the accused debited his wallet and credited his account at the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank. The finance department of Union Trust Bank uncovered irregularities during a reconciliation process, realizing that a large sum had been transferred to Sesay’s account.
The bank reported the matter to the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank, and both institutions took immediate action to block Sesay’s accounts. Manga further testified that on July 10, Sesay debited Union Trust Bank’s ledger again, transferring Le 2,000,000 to his account at Sierra Leone Commercial Bank. Although Union Trust Bank sought to recover the funds, only Le 2,634,933.34 was returned, leaving a shortfall of Le 135,066.26. The matter was subsequently reported to the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Freetown.
During cross-examination by defense counsel A. Kamara Esq., the witness maintained his account of the events. Following the testimony, Magistrate Bangura denied bail for Sesay and remanded him to the Male Correctional Facility in Freetown.
The case has been adjourned to Thursday, November 28, 2024, for the continuation of the trial.
