By Salieu S. Kanu
The High Court of Sierra Leone presided over by the Hon. Justice Aiah Simeon Alieu J, on November 22, 2024, convicted Abdul Salim Mansaray, former Head of Retail Operations at Ecobank, and Magnus Samuel Valentine Cole after they pleaded guilty to charges of corruption, the acc said in a statement on Thursday.
Hon. Justice Simeon Alieu convicted Abdul Salim Mansaray, on Seventy (70) Counts of corruption charges including misappropriation of public revenue, contrary to Section 36(1), unlawfully acquiring public property, contrary to Section 48(1) (a), and conspiracy to commit a corruption offence contrary to Section 128(1)(a) of the Anti-Corruption Act No. 12, of 2008 as amended by the Anti-Corruption (Amendment) Act No. 9 of 2019; providing misleading information contrary to Section 95(2) and Transferring Property with the Aim of Disguising its Illicit Nature contrary 170(2) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Combating of Terrorism and Financing of Weapons of Mass Destruction Act No. 4, 2024.
The learned Judge sentenced Abdul Salim Mansaray to pay a cumulative fine of One Hundred and Fifty Thousand New Leones (Nle 150,000) or Five (5) years imprisonment.
The Judge further ordered that the convict forfeits to the State, FUNDS held in Bank Accounts bearing his name at the Rokel Commercial Bank, and at the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Bank with the amounts of *Five Hundred and Sixty One Thousand, Three Hundred and Eighty New Leones and Sixty-Four Cents, (NLe561,380.64), and One Hundred and Sixteen Thousand, Nine Hundred and Sixty-Five New Leones, Fifty Nine Cents (NLe 116,965.59), respectively, on the condition that the Solicitor’s fees of Two Hundred Thousand New Leones (NLe200,000) will be deducted from the total amount.
Similarly, MAGNUS SAMUEL VALENTINE COLE was also convicted on charges of Unlawfully Acquiring Public Property, and Conspiracy to Commit a Corruption Offence, and sentenced to pay a fine of Fifty Thousand New Leones (NLe 50,000) or Five (5) years imprisonment. The ACC offered no evidence against Tallu Jalloh.
In this regard, the Commission wishes to reassure the general public of its relentless commitment to protecting public revenue at all times.