Sierra Leone Telegraph: 25 September 2019:
Sierra Leone’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), on Monday, 23rd September 2019, filed court indictment against Stephen Yayah Mansaray, who is the former Master and Registrar of the High Court of Sierra Leone; Richie Edwin Asgil – former Principal Accountant in the Judiciary; Adele Faya – former Account Clerk of the Judiciary; and Clarence Solomon Will – a Legal Assistant at a Law Firm in Freetown.
They have each been charged on various counts of Misappropriation of Public Funds amounting to sixty million, two hundred and sixty-eight thousand, and two hundred Leones (Le460,268,200/00), contrary to Section 36(1); and conspiracy to commit a corruption offence, contrary to Section 128(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act 2008, respectively.
According to the ACC, Stephen Yayah Mansaray and Richie Edwin Asgil were the signatories to the Judiciary’s Master and Registrar’s account held at the Bank of Sierra Leone. On diverse dates, between June 2014 and May 2018, both accused men, conspired with others to sign a number of cheques through which they authorized the withdrawal of funds from the aforementioned account for their personal benefit or for other unjustified purposes.
Similarly, Adele Faya, former Account Clerk of the Judiciary, also instructed the encashment of various cheques from the same account, and misappropriated these monies.
Clarence Solomon Will, a Legal Assistant at Bah & Co., a law firm in Freetown, on diverse dates between 25th April, 2018, and 14th March, 2019, conspired with unknown persons to misappropriate public funds by illegally facilitating the encashment of cheques from the Judiciary’s account.
All four accused persons misappropriated the total sum of four hundred and sixty million, two hundred and sixty-eight thousand, and two hundred Leones (Le460,268,200/00) from the Judiciary’s Master & Registrar Account held at the Bank of Sierra Leone.
All accused persons are expected to appear in the High Court in Freetown next Monday, 30th September, 2019.
Early this year, the Anti-Corruption Czar – Francis Ben Kaifala, vowed to go wherever evidence of corruption and bribery leads, in an effort to win the fight against corruption which has been declared by president Julius Maada Bio.
In March 2019, the ACC conducted an unannounced investigation at the country’s Judiciary Accounts Department, where it is believed hundreds of thousands of dollars have over the years been siphoned by unscrupulous officials.
It is alleged that a criminal syndicate has been operating in the accounts department for well over a decade, stealing funds paid into the judiciary in court fines.
The juggernaut that is Francis Ben Kaifala keeps gathering momentum and the corrupt have no where to hide, as the intelligence unit of ACC have developed the frightening characteristic of ferreting them out; they seem to be invisible until they pounce. The question is where will they surface next? The Principal and his teachers saw them too late,and so they now have a date with a judge.The Inspector General of Police,Richard Moigbe, needs to study at their feet.
But here is the stupefying thing:The information coming through the grape vine is that this lad [Ben Kaifala],with all that he has done so far,has just been sparring – his real fight will start when the Commissions of Inquiry [COI]reveal their findings.That’s when even those who seem to have made good their escape to foreign lands will rudely find themselves in the clutches of ACC with the indomitable F.B.kaifala setting the tone and procedures.We are in for a treat.
President Bio should never again offer a public apology for what ACC does.Corruption has to be fought unconventionally in our dear country for us to stand any chance of casting it behind us.May Allah/God forever be on the side of Francis Ben Kaifala.
Keep up the good job Mr Ben Kelfalla and the Anti-Corruption team you are leading now. Your tremendous efforts are not in vain both before God and man. It is through your tremendous drive, efforts, persistence, determination, etc that have created for people like us in the diaspora hope and trust/faith that our beloved mama Salone will resurrect from the deep pit of economic despire, gross/rampant mismanagement with impunity, without checks and balances before you ascended the throne as anti-corruption Czar. May God guide/guard, protect and bless you. I am proud of you and your efforts as I too attended the Sierra Leone Grammar School then to pursue my WAEC GCE ADVANCE LEVEL EXAMINATIONS CERTIFICATE FROM 1990-1992.
I want the old folks of Sierra Leone see what this young man is doing to cleanse corruption.Its time for change. Let the young people empower themselves and take the mantle of leadership..This is the time. Congratulations Mr. Ben Kaifala keep it up.
Mr. Ben Kelfala is a remarkable true son of our beloved Mama Sierra Leone. Watch the space for this patriotic Sierra Leonean. I believe he is a President in waiting for the future of Sierra Leone. One does not have to be a mind reader to know Mr Ben Kelfala’s feelings about Sierra Leone. He wants Sierra Leone to be prosperous and free from that deadly corrupt virus that is affecting most of our crooked brothers and sisters, which has resulted in Sierra Leone being labelled as one of the poorest countries on planet earth.
Mr Ben Kelfala is cleansing the corrupt elements. May the good Lord protect, guide and bless you Mr Ben Kelfala from evil human forces.
Keep up the good work Mr. Ben Kelfala, you are a true son of the soil. Leave no stone unturned in the fight against this maniac we call corruption.
In Sierra Leone only the poor man continues to suffer and the rich continues to get richer.