By Janet A. Sesay
Two former staff of Bloom Bank Africa, Musa Joseph Sesay, a former Human Resource Officer and Joshua Gbanyah, former Administrative Officer, have been dragged to court by the Bank for embezzling over Six Hundred New Leones, monies meant for the payments of EDSA top up for the Bank. They were also alleged to have forged fake EDSA receipts as payments for EDSA top up.
Sesay and Gbanyah are arraigned before Magistrate Mustapha Briama Jah of Pademba Road Court No.1 on Monday, 28th July, 2025 to answer to four count charges of conspiracy, larceny by servant, causing money to be paid by false pretenses and forgery of documents all contrary to law.
The charge sheet indicates that Sesay and Gbanyah between 2nd January, 2023 and 31st March, 2024 being employees of the Bloom Bank, allegedly misappropriated funds intended for the payments of EDAS electricity bills on multiple occasions.
The charge sheet further indicates that both accused persons facilitated the payment of Six Hundred and Nineteen Thousand New Leones (NLe 619,000) from the Bloom Bank.
The charge sheet further indicates that the second accused person, Gbanyah forged documents from the College of Digital Excellence including statements of results bearing his name purported to be prepared and signed by the Office of the Registrar at the College of Digital Excellence which police claim to be falsified.
In continuation of the cross-examination by Defense Counsel, Charles Pujeh on behalf of second accused Gbanyah, the witness Ernest Ohua described himself as the Internal Chief Officer of the Bank.
He outlined his duties to include, providing independent assurances on the effectiveness of the management of the Bank and that he also serves as the Internal Auditor of the Bank.
Responding to questions posed to him by the Defense Counsel Ohua, he explained that the case for which they are in court has to do with the case of Bloom Bank giving monies to the accused persons to make payments for EDSA top up on behalf of the Bank, which they failed to do.
He was asked by Lawyer Pujeh whether the Bank was having light after given the monies to the accused persons and he responded in the positive but added that the meter was by-passed by the accused persons.
The Witness was also asked whether any receipt was given to the accused persons relating to the credit report of the meter and he also responded in the positive.
Ohua went on to inform the court that payments for the meter top up were to have been made between January 2023 and December 6th, 2023 within which period EDSA staff went on inspection at the Bank as a debtor of the Agency.
Ohua furthered that both accused persons had the responsibility of making the payments for the meter at the bank, pointing out that both of them had made the requests and the monies were disbursed to them through what he called the Bank’s “Expense Voucher” and pointed out further that during the incident at the Bank, the Bank was having three Admin Officers, noting that the second accused person, Gbanyah, was employed by the Bank as a Dispatch Rider and later promoted to an Admin Officer.
The witness was then shown Exhibit B1-23 which he identified as the official letter given to the second accused person, Joshua Gbanyah promoting him as an Admin Officer at the Bank.
Ohua explained to the Court the meaning of “Cash Advance” which he said is money meant for the purchase of something of goods or services on behalf of the Bank for which a receipt issued.
He confirmed that the accused persons deed brought in receipts to the Bank but that EDSA has claimed those receipts to be forged.
He said it was the second accused person, Banya who brought in the alleged fake receipts and presented them to the Bank, asserting that as a Bank they cannot tell where he could have got them from.
In the interim, the matter was adjourned to Monday, 4th August, 2025 while the accused persons remain on bail.