By: Audrey Raymonda John
Thirty-year-old businessman Ibrahim Boima has made his first appearance before Magistrate Mustapha Braima Jah at Pademba Road Court No. 1 in Freetown on fifty-four (54) counts of alleged theft and forgery-related offences.
The charges include forty-eight (48) counts of larceny, contrary to Section 2 of the Larceny Act of 1916; three (3) counts of forgery, contrary to Section 4(1) of the Forgery Act of 1913; and three (3) counts of uttering forged documents, contrary to Section 6(1) and (2) of the Forgery Act of 1913.
According to the particulars of offence, it is alleged that on Tuesday, 3rd January 2023, at No. 2 Charlotte Street, Vista Bank Head Office in the Western Area of Freetown, the accused stole the sum of Three Thousand Five Hundred Leones (Le 3,500) from the Greater Evangelism World Crusade bank account, bearing account number 600011709080198, held at the said bank.
Count Two further alleged that on 4th January 2023, at the same location, the accused stole the sum of Nine Thousand and Fifty Leones (Le 9,050) from the same account.
Counts Three to Seven alleged that between 1st March and 13th April 2023, the accused stole a total sum of Seventy-One Thousand Leones (Le 71,000) from the said account.
Counts Eight to Twenty-One further alleged that between 1st June and 31st August 2023, the accused stole One Hundred and Eighty Thousand Three Hundred Leones (Le 180,300) from the same account.
Counts Twenty-Two to Forty-Eight alleged that between 31st August 2023 and 27th October 2025, the accused stole One Hundred and Thirty-One Thousand Six Hundred and Thirty Leones (Le 131,630) from the Greater Evangelism World Crusade account.
Counts Forty-Nine to Fifty-One stated that between 1st and 31st July 2025, at the same place, the accused, with intent to defraud, forged a document namely a letter requesting a change of signatories to the church’s main account dated 9th July 2025, purportedly prepared and signed by the Church Secretary, Patrick Amara.
Counts Fifty-Two to Fifty-Three alleged that the accused, on the same date and place, uttered the forged letter of request for change of signatories, knowing it to have been forged.
Count Fifty-Four further alleged that the accused uttered a forged minutes of meeting dated 9th July 2025, in the name of Greater Evangelism World Crusade, knowing the document to be forged.
When the charges were read and explained to the accused, no plea was taken.
The prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police Tommy B. Zizer, Esq., informed the court that the defence had been duly served pursuant to Section 98(1) and Section 113 of the Criminal Procedure Act, 2024.
Defence counsel, J. Kamara, Esq., acknowledged receipt of the prosecution file and stated that he would conduct proper research in preparation for trial. He subsequently applied for bail on behalf of the accused, arguing that the defendant is a Sierra Leonean resident with a fixed address, is not a flight risk, is a known member of the church, and has reliable sureties willing to enter recognizance. The application was made pursuant to Section 76(1) and (2) of the Criminal Procedure Act No. 8 of 2024.
However, Magistrate Jah refused bail, citing the seriousness of the offences and the number of counts preferred against the accused. The defendant was accordingly remanded at the Male Correctional Facility in Freetown.
The matter has been adjourned to 16th February 2026.