By Tilly Barrie
Chief prosecutor in the United Bank for Africa (UBA) alleged fraud case before Magistrate Komba Kamanda says he will have to bring in senior officials of the bank to prove the “high profile” nature of the case.
The first prosecution witness in the Le54 million matter, involving the Nigerian bank, Legal One Superintendent M. B. Kamara said he wanted to open the investigation to include other persons whom he said were still working at the Bank.
He argued that Mohamed Bah, Joseph Maya and the Sub Manager of the bank’s Adelaide Street branch, Foday Conteh, who has been suspended, should be charged alongside the accused persons because there was a clear case of conspiracy.
Magistrate Kamanda said he would only discharge a matter after he had received a letter from either the Attorney General or his representative or the Deputy Public Prosecution or his representative.
He explained that all such prosecutions were done by the Attorney General with the police acting as agent. He was however quick to state that Legal One was a senior police officer and a lawyer with the authority to arrest anyone. He therefore said that if the bank refused to cooperate he should be informed.
An internal auditor at UBA, Mohamed Yusufu Kamara, testified as the first prosecution witness. He said he knew the accused person, Yusuf Suma Kargbo, a trader, who operated a savings account with the bank. He explained that on 18 June 2013, he was at his Charlotte Street office when two men came with the Operations Manager to complain that cash was being suppressed by a certain Anthony Mattia, now on the run.
He said a customer had told him that he gave some money to Mattia to be deposited for him but that it was not reflected on his account. When they printed the statements of account, the customer noted that Mattia had withdrawn money from his account without his consent.
Kamara said they had to go through one month batch envelopes from the Adelaide Street branch and their suspicion grew when they received more complaints from other bank customers.
Anthony Mattia has allegedly been sending money to the accused Yusuf Kargbo’s account with Kargbo withdrawing the money from other UBA branches.
The accused is facing a 6-count charge of conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretense.
ASP Dunia is prosecuting the matter with L. H. Jusu representing the accused. The matter was adjourned to 25 July 2013.
