The Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court in Freetown has sentenced the Head of Operations at United Bank of Africa (UBA), Fredrick Caulker, to forty years’ imprisonment for corruption-related offences involving public funds.
Titansloaded reports that the judgment was delivered at the Main Law Courts Building by Court of Appeal Judge, Honourable Justice Aiah Simeon Allieu.
The court found Caulker guilty on four counts of misappropriation of public funds under Section 36(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act No. 12 of 2008, as amended by the 2019 Act.
The charges stemmed from PAYE and withholding tax payments made by the Small Holder Commercialization Agri-Business Development Project (SCADeP) to the National Revenue Authority (NRA).
Prosecutors said the funds were meant to be paid directly into designated NRA accounts.
According to the prosecution, Caulker abused his position as UBA Head of Operations by diverting the tax payments into unauthorized accounts on several occasions.
The offences occurred on different dates and involved multiple financial transactions amounting to millions of leones.
During the trial, the prosecution presented eight witnesses, including a banker from Commerce Mortgage Bank.
Prosecution Witness Two, a former subordinate of the accused at UBA, testified that he processed several transactions in November 2023 under Caulker’s direct instructions.
The witness told the court that amounts including Le. 293,749.80, Le. 169,134.29, Le. 1,291,623.50, and Le. 255,725.81 were redirected from NRA accounts to other destinations.
He further stated that Caulker claimed an initial transfer was a mistake and instructed that the funds be moved to alternative accounts.
On count five, which alleged conspiracy to commit a corruption offence, the court ruled that the prosecution failed to prove the charge.
Justice Allieu therefore acquitted and discharged Caulker on that count.
However, on counts one to four, the court imposed a ten-year sentence on each count.
The judge ordered the sentences to run consecutively, bringing the total jail term to forty years.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered Caulker to refund Le. 1,980,233.40 to the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
The payment must be made within ninety days from the date of judgment.
The ruling underscores Sierra Leone’s firm stance against financial crimes and public fund misappropriation.
