Teacher Faces Larceny Charges for Stealing Over Le 2.7 Million at Union Trust Bank
By Mamajah Jalloh
Freetown, Sierra Leone – November 28, 2024 – Issa Sesay, a 27-year-old teacher, appeared before Magistrate Santigie Bangura at Pademba Road Court No. 2 on Thursday, November 28, 2024, facing two charges of larceny. The charges, which are in violation of Section 2 of the Larceny Act 1916, stem from incidents that allegedly occurred between July 5th and 10th, 2024, in Magburaka Town, Tonkolili District, in the Northern Province.
The first charge claims that between these dates, Issa Sesay unlawfully took the sum of Le 2,770,000 from Union Trust Bank Sierra Leone Limited, while the second charge alleges that he stole Le 135,066.26, also belonging to the same bank.
When the charges were read to the accused, he pleaded not guilty.
The prosecution, led by Assistant Superintendent of Police Dialla Wellington, called its first witness, Augustine A. Manga, who serves as the Head of Compliance at Union Trust Bank Sierra Leone. Manga testified about his role in ensuring the bank’s compliance with regulations and internal policies.
According to Manga, he knew the accused personally as a customer of the bank. He explained that between July 5th and 10th, 2024, Issa Sesay was granted a corporate facility by the bank. This facility allows customers to transfer funds to third parties without physically visiting the bank. The facility is linked to the customer’s main account, enabling them to debit their account and credit a mobile wallet, which can then be used to make payments or transfers.
On July 5th, 2024, Manga confirmed that Issa Sesay successfully debited the bank’s general ledger and credited his mobile wallet. However, when Sesay attempted to transfer the funds to various recipients on July 6th, 2024, the system placed a limit of Le 5,000, which resulted in the transfers failing.
Manga continued his testimony, explaining that on July 8th, the accused attempted to transfer money again. This time, Issa Sesay successfully debited the funds from his mobile wallet and credited his account at Sierra Leone Commercial Bank. The finance department at Union Trust Bank conducted a reconciliation and found that a significant amount of money, including Le 2,770,000, had been transferred from the bank’s system to Sierra Leone Commercial Bank by the accused.
Upon discovering the unauthorized transfer, both banks immediately blocked Sesay’s accounts at Union Trust Bank and Sierra Leone Commercial Bank. However, the money could not be retrieved. Despite attempts to recover the full amount, the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank only returned Le 2,634,933.34, leaving a shortfall of Le 135,066.26.
Manga further stated that the matter was reported to the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), which coordinated with the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank to return the funds to Union Trust Bank. However, not all the stolen amount was recovered, prompting Union Trust Bank to report the matter to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
Magistrate Santigie Bangura deemed the charges serious and refused bail, sending Issa Sesay to the male correctional facility in Freetown. The case was adjourned to December 6, 2024, for further proceedings.
