Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Commissioner of Sierra Leone, Francis Ben Kaifala has disclosed that 13 staff members from the Freetown City Council (FCC) and two officials from the Commerce and Mortgage Bank have been arrested in connection with a major fraud scheme that diverted billions of Old Leones from the council’s revenue.
Kaifala made this statement on Thursday, 6th March 2025, during a press briefing at the commission’s head office, Integrity House Tower Hill in Freetown.
According to Kaifala, the investigation began after the FCC detected irregularities in its financial records. The council discovered that payments from businesses, including a 100-million-Old Leone transaction from MediaTech, were missing from its accounts, prompting an internal review.
He further revealed that the ACC investigation discovered that FCC’s revenue streams were being manipulated by a network of officials, adding that when checks were issued in the name of the FCC, some individuals found a way to alter them by adding ‘Football Club’ at the end, redirecting the funds into an account belonging to the FCC Football Club instead of the council’s official account.
Kaifala mentioned that the football club’s account was created in 2019 by Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr to manage the welfare of players. However, after the mayor and others stepped away from managing the account, three individuals—Sima Konte, Duba Navo, and William Martin took control and allegedly used the account to steal public funds.
“In the process, we have about four billion old Leones that went through this account, and we believe that at least three billion old Leones of that money was applied corruptly,” he pointed out.
The ACC boss furthered that the funds were stolen from various revenue sources, including billboard fees, business licenses, lease payments, and graveyard fees.
Kaifala also stated that the fraud was facilitated with the cooperation of bank officials from Commerce and Mortgage Bank. He added that the scheme could not have been successful without the involvement of bank staff and that the commission uncovered cases where bankers actively assisted in processing these fraudulent transactions and, in some instances, even forged signatures to enable withdrawals.
According to Kaifala, some of the arrested individuals remain in custody, while others have been granted bail, with most of them confessing about their involvement, and some have already begun returning stolen funds.
Kaifala emphasized that the ACC is working to ensure that those involved face justice and that systemic weaknesses enabling such corruption are addressed. He also warned financial institutions against aiding fraudulent activities, stating that any bank found conspiring with corrupt individuals will be required to repay stolen funds and face severe public scrutiny and legal consequences.
The ACC boss also urged the FCC to review or suspend the officials involved. However, Kaifala clarified that under existing laws, the commission cannot suspend individuals under investigation—suspensions can only occur after formal charges are filed in court.
ACC vowed to take decisive action to prevent similar fraud in the future, stressing the importance of leadership and internal controls in protecting public funds.
