By SKS
A Sky Bank Sierra Leone customer appeared in court yesterday charged with stealing over NLe 94,500 through fraudulent transactions, marking a significant case of bank fraud in Freetown.
The accused, Ibrahim Barrie, appeared before the Freetown Magistrate Court No. 1, facing charges of stealing over ninety-four thousand Leones (NLe 94,500) through fraudulent transactions.
This marks Barrie’s second court appearance before Magistrate Mustapha Brima Jah, where he is charged with multiple offenses, including conspiracy to defraud and larceny, in violation of Section 2 of the Larceny Act of 1916.
According to the charge sheet, between May 1 and May 31, 2025, at Sky Bank’s Cline Town branch, Barrie allegedly conspired with unidentified individuals to commit theft.
The prosecution alleges that on May 8, he unlawfully withdrew NLe 94,500 via a bank-to-wallet transfer. Additional accusations include further bank-to-wallet transfers of NLe 15,000 on May 9 and another sum of NLe 70,000—all reportedly stolen from Sky Bank accounts.
During the proceedings, the prosecution called Witness David King Forfanah, a marketing officer and relationship manager at Sky Bank. He testified that the fraud was uncovered after a suspicious cheque issued by Barrie could not be processed. This prompted an internal review, which revealed inconsistencies in Barrie’s identification documents.
Forfanah explained that he contacted Barrie, who claimed he was out of town but promised to return. After two months without any contact, the bank launched a formal investigation. Attempts to locate Barrie at his residence initially failed, but a neighbor later informed the bank of his return.
When confronted, Barrie reportedly denied owning a bank account and later claimed he had lost his ID card wallet in Wellington. The bank officials then reported the matter to the Apruschool Police Post. Barrie allegedly attempted to flee but was quickly apprehended, detained, and transferred to Ross Road Police Station. He was subsequently moved to Central Police Station before being formally charged.
The prosecution presented Barrie’s bank statement, which showed an initial deposit of NLe 100, followed by suspicious withdrawals of NLe 80 and NLe 15.
After cross-examination by defense counsel M. Mansaray, Magistrate Jah granted the accused bail. The case has been adjourned to September 1, 2025, for further proceedings.
