Pee Cee and Son’s Theft Case Five Men Charged with Embezzlement and Aiding Crime

By Mamajah Jalloh
On Tuesday, November 26, 2024, five individuals were arraigned before Magistrate Santigie Bangura at Pademba Road Court No. 2, facing charges related to the alleged embezzlement of over seven thousand new Leones from Pee Cee and Son’s Company. The accused, Babar Koroma, Foday Turay, Bashiru Kemoh Bangura, Jusu Koroma, and Mustapha Jabbie, are charged with embezzlement, misprision of felony, and aiding and abetting the commission of a felony.

The court heard that Babar Koroma, the first accused, is alleged to have embezzled the sum of seven hundred and twenty-two thousand new Leones (NLe 722,000) on October 29, 2024, while acting as a driver for Pee Cee and Son’s Company. It was further alleged that the remaining four accused—Foday Turay, Bashiru Kemoh Bangura, Jusu Koroma, and Mustapha Jabbie—were aware of the theft and assisted Koroma by concealing the stolen funds.

The prosecutor, Assistant Commissioner of Police Joan M.S Bull, presented evidence, including testimony from Chirad Garani, an Indian national employed by Pee Cee and Son’s Company as a marketer. Garani testified that on the day of the alleged embezzlement, he was in the company vehicle, driven by Babar Koroma, and visited multiple customers to collect payments. During these visits, Garani stated, a total of NLe 722,000 was collected, and the money was stored in sealed cartons inside the vehicle.

According to Garani, after visiting a customer at Funkia Market, he and the other employees noticed that the vehicle, which had been parked, was missing when they returned. The cartons containing the money were also gone, and attempts to contact Koroma were unsuccessful as his phone was turned off. Witnesses in the area later reported seeing Koroma with two motorcyclists collecting the money.

The defense counsel, A.K. Kamara, requested that the witness statements be made available for cross-examination. However, Magistrate Santigie Bangura ruled that the issue of witness statements would be addressed once the case is sent to the High Court for further proceedings. The matter was adjourned for further cross-examination, and the accused were remanded in custody.

The case will continue on November 28, 2024, with the next hearing expected to focus on the defense’s cross-examination of the witnesses.