By: Audrey Raymonda John
Twenty-nine-year-old Umaru Kargbo, Manager of Saboath Construction and General Merchandise Company, appeared before Magistrate Mustapha Braima Jah at Pademba Road Magistrate Court No. 1 in Freetown, facing a staggering 52-count charge including larceny by servant, forgery, and uttering forged documents.
According to police records, Kargbo 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 case involves fraudulent cheque withdrawals and forged bank documents.
Kargbo is charged under Section 17(1)(a) of the Larceny Act 1916 for stealing the stated amounts. He also faces charges under Section 4(1) of the Forgery Act 1913 for forging multiple Zenith Bank cheques and withdrawal slips.
The prosecution alleges that, with intent to defraud, Kargbo forged over 20 cheques some valued 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.
In addition to forgery, Kargbo is charged under Section 6(1)(2) of the Forgery Act for knowingly presenting these forged documents to the bank for processing. These include a series of forged cheques and fake withdrawal slips ranging from Le2,300 to $1,000 USD.
All charges relate to offenses committed between April and November 2024 while Kargbo held his managerial position at the company.
The case has been adjourned to August 1, 2025, as investigations continue, with the accused remaining under judicial scrutiny.