Two former Public Officers of the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Services (SLBS) were on Monday 25th May, 2009, convicted by the High Court of Sierra Leone presided over by justice Nicholas Browne-Marke on one (1) count of Misappropriation of Public Funds , contrary to Section 12 (1) of the Anti-Corruption Act , 2000 (as amended)
The convicted persons are Joseph Kashope Wellington, former Acting Director-General of the SLBS and former Accountant Madonna Druscilla Cole. Joseph Kashope Wellington was sentenced to term of five years imprisonment or alternatively to pay a fine of Le 5,000,000 five million Leones, whilst Madonna Druscilla Cole was sentenced to a term of two years imprisonment or alternatively to pay a fine of (Le 3,000,000) three million Leones.
The Learned Trial Judge made a further order that Alimamy Mansaray, the second Prosecutionwitness in the matter who was the then Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Information at that time, and is now the Director of Human Resources, should immediately refund to the SLBS the sum of thirty million (Le30, 000,000) which he admitted in his testimony to have received from Joseph Kashope Wellington.
The Anti-Corruption Commission had alleged that the two accused persons misappropriated Sixty-three million Leones (Le 63,000,000). The money had been paid in foreign currency in the sum of USD22,000 Twenty -two thousand United States dollars, by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) as rent for the use of SLBS facilities at Leicester Peak and other sites. The money was handed over directly to Joseph Kashope Wellington who converted it into local currency. The money was later misappropriated by the two Accused persons.
Glennis Sourie
Communications Officer
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