By Mohamed T. Massaquoi
A Freetown High Court judge on Wednesday granted bail to former Executive Director of the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA), Dr. Sarah Finda Bendu and the Procurement Manager of the Authority, Victor Labor, during their first appearance on corruption charges.
The two are part of a group of three people facing a total of eight count charges in a graft case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), and they appeared before Justice Cosmotina Jarrett at High Court No. 2, nearly a month since their indictment was first announced on September 12.
Among others, they are accused of misappropriation of public funds, conspiracy to commit a corruption offense and violation of management procedures. Between them, they allegedly defrauded the state of over Le2billion.
According to details of the indictment, the three inflated customs duties and payments for related services, and used the bank account of a private company – Centrum and KABS Clearing and Forwarding Agencies - through which the monies where funneled in the guise of clearing tow trucks and holographic windshield labels.
Mrs Bendu faces all eight count charges, while Mr Labor faces seven count charges. The third accused, Kepiatu Alghali, who worked for the National Revenue Authority, faces six count charges.
Alghali, according to particulars of the offenses, served as the link between Centrum and the SLRSA officials, through which means monies were forwarded to the SLRSA officials.
While Bendu and Labor pleaded not guilty to the charges, Alghali pleaded guilty to two of the six counts charges against her, including misappropriation of public funds to wit the sum of Le 680,392,268, which was purported to have been paid to Centrum Cleaning and Forwarding Agencies for the clearing of tow trucks.
After the failure of the State Prosecutor, Calvin T. Mansebo to offer evidence against Alghali before the court for the remaining counts, Justice Jarrett passed a verdict on Alghali's matter, slamming a Le300,000,000 fine on her, with the option of a custodial sentence of three years. The judge also ordered Alghali to pay restitution of Le227, 000,000.
The convict is expected to pay the fine and restitution no later than 1st November and 1st December 2019, respectively. She was also ordered to surrender her traveling documents to the Master and Registrar before leaving the court.
Mrs Bendu and Mr Labor were granted a bail of Le750, 000, 000 each with two sureties in like sum, including title deeds, and they were ordered to submit all of their traveling documents to the Master and Registrar.
The matter was adjourned to the 21 October, 2019.
© 2019 Politico Online
