Two individuals, including a former staff member of Bloom Bank Sierra Leone, appeared before Magistrate Sahr Kekura at the Freetown Magistrate Court No. 1 on Monday, charged in connection with the alleged theft of NLe 619,000 meant for electricity payments.
The accused, Musa Joseph Sesay, former Human Resources Officer at Bloom Bank, and Joshua Gbanyah, a student at the College of Digital Excellence (CODE), are facing forty-two charges, including conspiracy, larceny by servant, causing money to be paid by false pretenses, and forgery, all contrary to the laws of Sierra Leone.
According to the indictment, between January 2, 2023, and March 31, 2024, Sesay is alleged to have misappropriated funds intended for the payment of the bank’s electricity top-ups through the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA). Gbanyah is accused of masterminding a fraudulent scheme, in which he arranged for NLe 619,000 to be paid to one Tamba Pessima, whom he falsely presented as an EDSA agent.
Gbanyah also stands accused of forging documents from CODE, including a falsified statement of results purportedly issued by the Registrar’s Office.
No plea was taken during Monday’s proceedings.
The prosecution’s first witness, Ernest Ohue, Chief Internal Auditor at Bloom Bank Africa, testified about the internal investigation that uncovered the alleged fraud. Ohue said his responsibilities include providing independent assurance on risk management and internal controls.
He confirmed that Sesay was the bank’s HR and Admin Officer until his resignation in August 2024, and that Gbanyah had served as Dispatch Manager before later being appointed as an Admin Officer.
Ohue recounted a critical incident on December 6, 2023, when three EDSA officers visited the bank’s branch at 3 Rawdon Street and disconnected the EDSA meter, which they took with them. The bank, relying on generator power at the time, only became aware of the removal after reviewing CCTV footage.
The following day, Ohue, along with Executive Officer Victor Eda and Head of Business Kunle Oyewone, visited EDSA’s Siaka Stevens Street office. There, they met with Engineer Wurie, Head of Auditing, who informed them that the bank had previously been invited for a meeting concerning meter tampering. That invitation, Wurie said, had been delivered to Gbanyah.
Ohue told the court that the original copy of the invitation was later recovered from Gbanyah and tendered as evidence.
When asked why he failed to report the invitation to senior management, Gbanyah reportedly told Ohue that he believed he could handle the matter himself.
Following the meeting with EDSA, Ohue retrieved all electricity vouchers used by the bank between January and December 2023, totaling NLe 619,000, and presented them to EDSA to prove payments had been made. However, EDSA officials reportedly examined the documents and concluded that both the vouchers and receipts were forgeries.
The matter was adjourned to May 16, 2025, for the continuation of testimony. Both accused persons are currently out on bail.
By Feima Sesay
