By Fatima Kpaka
Sierra Leone – January 19, 2026: The Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court in Freetown has sentenced Fredrick Caulker, Head of Operations at the United Bank of Africa (UBA), to forty years in prison after convicting him on four counts of corruption-related offences.
The ruling was delivered by Court of Appeal Judge, Honourable Justice Aiah Simeon Allieu, at the Main Law Courts Building. Caulker faced a five-count indictment, including conspiracy and misappropriation of public funds, contrary to Section 36(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act No. 12 of 2008 as amended by Act No. 9 of 2019.
According to the prosecution, Caulker misappropriated funds intended as PAYE tax payments from the Small Holder Commercialization Agri-Business Development Project (SCADeP) to the National Revenue Authority (NRA). Evidence presented in court showed that he diverted several payments into unauthorized accounts.
One prosecution witness, a banker formerly under Caulker’s supervision, testified that in November 2023 he processed multiple transactions on Caulker’s instructions, including sums of Le 293,749.80, Le 169,134.29, Le 1,291,623.50, and Le 255,725.81, which were diverted from the NRA account into other accounts.
Justice Allieu acquitted Caulker on the conspiracy charge (Count Five), ruling that the prosecution had not satisfied the elements of the offence. However, he found Caulker guilty on Counts One through Four, sentencing him to ten years on each count, to run consecutively, amounting to forty years in total.
In addition to the custodial sentence, Caulker was ordered to pay Le 1,980,233.40 (One Million, Nine Hundred and Eighty Thousand, Two Hundred and Thirty-Three Leones and Forty Cents) into the Consolidated Revenue Fund within ninety days of the judgment.
The ruling underscores Sierra Leone’s judiciary’s firm stance against corruption and its commitment to protecting public funds. It also demonstrates the effectiveness of the Anti-Corruption Division in holding individuals accountable for financial misconduct.
For further information, the Judiciary Communications and Public Affairs Unit can be contacted via its official website at www.judiciary.gov.sl or through its social media platforms.