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Two former employees of Bloom Bank Africa, Musa Joseph Sesay (Human Resource Officer) and Joshua Gbanyah (Administrative Officer), appeared before Magistrate Mustapha Briama Jah at the Pademba Road Court No. 1 on Monday, 28th July 2025.
They are facing four charges ranging from conspiracy, larceny by servant, causing money to be paid by false pretenses, and forgery of documents, all contrary to Sierra Leonean law.
The prosecution alleges that between January 2, 2023, and March 31, 2024, the accused embezzled over six hundred and nineteen thousand new leones (NLe 619,000) intended for the payment of electricity bills to the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA). The funds were allegedly withdrawn from the bank using internal “expense vouchers.”
In his testimony, Ernest Ohua, the bank’s Internal Chief Officer and Auditor, told the court that both Sesay and Gbanyah were responsible for requesting and receiving funds for EDSA top-ups on behalf of the bank. He stated that although the bank continued to receive electricity after payments were made, the EDSA meter had been bypassed—allegedly by the accused.
Ohua confirmed that the bank issued receipts to the accused for the payments, but later learned from EDSA that the receipts submitted were forged. He specifically pointed to Gbanyah as the individual who presented the fake documents, although he could not verify their origin.
Additionally, court documents revealed that Gbanyah is also accused of forging academic documents, including statements of results purportedly from the College of Digital Excellence (CODE), which police investigations claim were falsified and not issued by the institution.
During cross-examination led by defense counsel Charles Pujeh, Ohua was questioned about whether the bank had electricity after the funds were released. He responded in the affirmative but reiterated the bypass of the meter. He also identified Exhibit B1-23, an official letter confirming Gbanyah’s conversion from dispatch rider to admin officer.
The accused are currently out on bail, and the matter was adjourned to Monday, August 4, 2025, for continuation.
Most people in this have lost their credibility both locally and internationally. It’s a bad scenario that we find ourselves in. We need to work hard to emancipate ourselves from from that.
Most people in this country have lost their credibility both locally and internationally. It’s a bad scenario that we find ourselves in. We need to work hard to emancipate ourselves from from that.