By Fatima Kpaka
Freetown — Bloom Bank Africa has brought legal action against two of its former employees, Musa Joseph Sesay (Human Resources) and Joshua Gbanyah (Administrative Officer), for allegedly misappropriating over six hundred new Leones meant for EDSA electricity top-up payments. The duo appeared before Magistrate Mustapha Briama Jah at Pademba Road Court No. 1 on Monday, July 28, 2025.
Charges and Allegations
Sesay and Gbanyah face four counts, including:
– Conspiracy
– Larceny by servant
– Causing money to be paid by false pretenses
– Forgery of documents
Court documents claim the pair misused funds totaling NLe 19,000, allocated between January 2, 2023, and March 31, 2024, intended to settle the bank’s electricity bills. Investigators further allege that Gbanyah forged payment receipts as proof of the EDSA transactions and submitted falsified academic documents from the College of Digital Excellence.
Bloom Bank’s Chief Internal Officer and Auditor, Ernest Ohua, testified during cross-examination led by defense counsel Charles Pujeh. Ohua confirmed that although the bank continued to receive electricity, the meter had been bypassed by the accused. He also noted that receipts were submitted to the bank but later deemed counterfeit by EDSA.
Ohua clarified that both accused were responsible for processing meter payments through “expense vouchers” and said funds were disbursed directly to them for these tasks. The bank discovered inconsistencies following a debt notification from EDSA in December 2023. The second accused, Gbanyah, was initially hired as a dispatch rider before being promoted to administrative officer.
Exhibit B1-23 was tendered in court, confirming Gbanyah’s appointment as administrative officer. Ohua described “cash advance” procedures as funds issued for a specific purchase with receipts expected afterward—a protocol allegedly violated by the accused with fake documentation.
Awaiting Further Hearing
Both accused have been granted bail. The case is scheduled to continue on Monday, August 4, 2025.