By Aminata Phidelia Allie
Mohamed Turay, the Manager of electronic banking at the First International Bank attached to the Charlotte Street branch in Freetown has been charged on two counts of larceny and conspiracy to defraud.
First prosecution witness and head of internal control at the bank, Joseph Chibubze Peters, told Magistrate Komba Kamanda of Court No.2 that in early January Turay requested for eleven computers and accessories for office use at the bank all of which were delivered with invoices by FARIS International services. He said that after delivery the computers and accessories were placed in the project room in care of the accused, who also happened to be the project manager and the only one with absolute access to the keys and the room.
“On 28January this year, eight of those computers were found missing. At this, we started an investigation. During this period, we also found out that two more computers were missing. When the issue was brought to his notice, he said or did nothing,” said the witness.
He said the missing items cost Le46,800,000.
Defense counsel Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai, while cross examining, challenged the witness that he was not present when the computers were brought in and so couldn’t say whether or not the items were signed for by the accused, to which he admitted.
The counsel said that he also gathered from his internal investigation that four more people, excluding the accused, had accessed the room but none of them raised an alarm about the missing computers.
He said he had not been able to have a one-on-one talk with his client and so could not say much beyond what he had already said.
The accused was granted a bail to the sum of Le50 million and two sureties in like form.
The matter comes up again on Tuesday 19 February 2013.
