29-year-old Umaru Kargbo, Manager of Saboath Construction and General Merchandise Company, has appeared before Magistrate Mustapha Braima Jah of the Pademba Road Magistrate Court No.1 in Freetown, facing a staggering 52-count charge ranging from larceny by servant to forgery and uttering forged documents.

According to police records, the accused is alleged to have stolen over Le292,800 and $4,500 USD between April and November 2024 from two accounts belonging to his employer at Zenith Bank, Rawdon Street. The matter involves fraudulent cheque withdrawals and forged bank documents.

For larceny and forgery allegations, Kargbo is charged under section 17(1)(a) of the Larceny Act 1916 for stealing the aforementioned sums. He is also charged under section 4(1) of the Forgery Act 1913 for forging multiple Zenith Bank cheques and withdrawal slips.

The prosecution alleges that Kargbo, with intent to defraud, forged over 20 cheques some bearing values as high as Le20,000 and signed them in the name of Syril Kapu Jusu. Several withdrawal slips from a USD account were also allegedly falsified.

Altering forged documents:

Beyond forgery, Kargbo is further accused under section 6(1)(2) of the Forgery Act of knowingly presenting these forged instruments to the bank for processing. These include a series of forged cheques and fake withdrawal slips ranging between Le2,300 and $1,000 USD.

The charges span from April to November 2024, all committed while he held a managerial position in the company.

The matter has been adjourned to 1st August 2025 while investigations continue and the accused remains under judicial scrutiny.