By Fatima Kpaka
Mohamed Arafat Sahara Munda, a customer service officer at Rokel Commercial Bank, Bo branch, and two others were on Thursday, September 28, 2023 granted bail in the sum of NLe500,000 (five hundred thousand new Leones) by Magistrate Mark Ngegba of court No1.
The three are standing trial over the alleged theft of NLe 275,000 from an account of the bank.
The accused Mohamed Arafat Sahara Munda, Mohamed Munda Tarleh and Edison Brima Mohamed made their second appearance and were arraigned on 19 counts ranging from conspiracy to defraud, larceny by servant, causing money to be paid by means of fraud and other related offences, all contrary to the laws of Sierra Leone.
Police alleged that the accused on Friday, August 18, 2023, at Rokel Commercial Bank, Bojon Street in Bo conspired to defraud the Bank the sum of two hundred and seventy five thousand new Leones.
It is further alleged that the first accused Mohamed Arafat Sahara Munda on diverse dates between June and August 2023, at the same bank, being a customer service officer employed by the bank, stole the sum of Nle 275000 from a bank account operated by Musa Kanteh, now deceased.
The police also alleged that the accused on the same dates and place with intent to defraud unlawfully cause money to be paid by Mohamed Munda Tarleh and Edison Brima Mohamed, an agent of RCB SIM Korpor mobile application system, to several amounts as withdrawal made from RCB purportedly made by account holder Musa Kanteh, now deceased, knowing same to be false .
Testifying on oath, the first prosecution witness Alpha Barrier, led in evidence by ASP Ibrahim Mansaray, said he is a staff of the bank.
He said he knew first accused as staff of the bank who was working as customer service officer and was charge with the duty of customers attendance, and also knew the second and third accused as an agent operating an agency for the bank.
The witness Barrie recalled on Friday, August 13, 2023, when he received a call from the head of SIM Kopor unit who gave him information about the said account and ordered him to block the account by the name of Musa Kanteh, now deceased.
He said after blocking the account, he went through it and went to the community of the holder of the account to make an enquiry and he was told that the account holder is now a deceased.
The witness said upon his return to the office, he did some changes in the account and put it on a standby.
He said that during investigation by the police they gave several documents to the police and said that if given the opportunity he would take the said documents to court.
At this juncture, the prosecutor Ibrahim Mansaray asked for an adjournment for the witness to bring the said documents in court.
Defense Counsel H. M Geavo renewed his application for bail, adding that they will not jump bail because they knew that they have a very good case.
Magistrate Ngegba granted the accused persons bail in the sum of five hundred thousand Leones and one surety, each in like sum.
He said each the sureties must have an account balance of one hundred and fifty thousand new Leones.
He further said that that each surety should be property owner in Freetown. The bail should be approved by the Magistrate himself.
The matter was adjourned to October 9, 2023, for continuation of the testimony.