Court of Appeal Dismisses Kemoh Sesay’s COI Appeal, Orders Confiscation of House and $135,000 Payment

The Court of Appeal has dismissed the appeal filed by former Minister of Works and Public Assets, Hon. Kemoh Sesay, against the findings of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) led by Justice William A. Atuguba.

The ruling, delivered on Monday, upholds the COI’s determination that Sesay had illegally acquired properties during his tenure in public office.

In its judgment, the Court of Appeal ordered the State to confiscate the houses that the former minister was found to have obtained unlawfully. Additionally, Sesay has been mandated to return a sum of $135,000 to the State.

In 2019, Sierra Leone’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) seized a luxurious mansion belonging to former Minister of Works, Alhaji Kemoh Sesay.

According to the ACC, the property, located in Aberdeen, Freetown, was under investigation by the Commission and the Commissions of Inquiry for alleged corruption and abuse of office by former ministers and senior officials of the previous APC government.