Sebastian Ashong-Katai, Managing Director Ecobank
Ecobank-Sierra Leone, reports state, is being used allegedly as one of the conduits to fraudulently transact stolen monies to other banks. This syndicate has been going on for years, and many believe the Pan-African Bank has been notorious for being on the news for either fraud or other financial malpractices. This is evident with the case of Abdul Salim Mansaray, Head of Retail & Operations at Ecobank, presently at large, after the discovery of the huge amount of taxpayers’ monies squandered, running into billions of Leones. Mansaray is alleged to have left the shores of Sierra Leone after masterminding a grand fraud scheme, involving the National Revenue Authority’s funds deposited at the bank. The fraud syndicate of the CID’s Preliminary investigation found over Fifty Billion Old Leones to have mysteriously disappeared from monies deposited at the NRA account held at Ecobank.
This grand fraud on the state, according to the investigation, was masterminded by Abdul Salim Mansaray, who is said to have conspired with some top brass at the NRA and Ecobank, to surreptitiously transfer monies deposited into NRA’s account to different personal accounts of staff within Ecobank and other banks.
A few days ago, the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) arrested up to eight staff of the bank, who are suspected to be among the persons the said monies were transferred to.
Sources at the CID and other quarters intimate this medium that many heads from the bank, NRA, and other banks, who are believed to be part of this scheme, will soon roll, as the investigation continues.
This latest fraud is a re-emergence of the Katta family’s case, where the bank’s staff conspired with others at NRA to steal funds deposited at the bank. With this latest fraud, it is safe to say that Ecobank Sierra Leone is fast becoming a fraudsters’ hub.
Citizens are therefore calling on the Central Bank of Sierra Leone to take drastic action against the bank to forestall the seeming proliferation of criminal activities in the bank.
Meanwhile, the Bank confirmed the incident to this medium, while furthering that it is currently under investigation. In subsequent editions, the identities of all those involved in this racketeering will be published.
Investigation continues…
