By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, Monrovia- Guaranty Trust Bank Liberia Limited has again been dragged to court by one of its customers for allegedly tampering with money saved in the bank.
After former President Sirleaf’s son, Charles E. Sirleaf took this bank to the Commercial Court last year for allegedly stealing over US$ 88 thousand and 10K Liberian Dollars, from his accounts, GT Bank is now in court again for allegedly stealing US$930,500.00 from business man George B. Kailondo accounts.
The case of alleged stealing from Charles E. Sirleaf’s accounts is still pending before the Commercial Court, while the Criminal aspect of it is pending before the Criminal Court.
Prior to their Summon on last Friday, July 9, 2021, the Executive Bank Director of Guaranty Trust Bank Liberia Limited Prince Saye through Sky Insurance Company filed USD, 1,861,000.00 bail bond at the Criminal Court”C” but the Executive Director of the bank Mr. Prince Saye appear in Court early this morning (July 12, 2021)along with their in house lawyer Atty. Tye Booker Rogland in obedience to the writ of Summon issued on them last Friday.
The Executive Bank Director filed the bail bond on behalf of all its corporate officers pending hearing of the case.
On July 10,2021, Criminal Court C at the Temple of Justice summoned the Guaranty Trust Bank Liberia Limited by and thru it’s managing Director, Deputies, Operations manager, Executive Director, Controller Prince Saye and others corporate officers to be identified for the Crime of Theft of property and Criminal Conspiracy.
A writ of Summon issued last Friday by Criminal Court C presiding Judge Peter W. Gbeneweleh says, you are hereby commanded to summons Managing Director, Deputies, Operations manager, Executive Director, Controller Prince Saye and others corporate officers to be identified of the Guaranty Trust Bank Liberia Limited defendants to appear before the first Judicial Circuit Court, Criminal Assizes “C” for Montserrado County, Republic of Liberia on Monday the 12th day of July A.D. 2021, at 9am to answer to the charges levied against them in the attached indictment drew by the Republic of Liberia.
The writ of Summon further says, you are hereby commanded to serve this writ of Summon on the above named respondents and have your official returns endorsed on the back of the original copy of this writ of summons, indicating the form and manner of its service.
A six-count indictment drawn up by the state through Liberian businessman George B. Kailondo said:
That the Ground jurors for Montserrado County, Republic of Liberia upon their oath do hereby find more probably than not, that you defendants managing Director, Deputies, Operations manager, Executive Director, Controller Prince Saye and others corporate officers to be identified did conspire, facilitate and did commit the Crime of Theft of property in flagrant violation of 4LCLR, title 26, section 15.51(a), title 26, section 2.2(a) and (b) 4LCLR, title 26, section 15.6 among others of the statutory law of the Republic of Liberia.
That sometime ago, in the City of Monrovia, Montserrado County, Republic of Liberia, Private prosecutor George B. Kailondo for the purpose of trust and confident in the defendant’s entity (GT Bank) opened checking accounts at said bank with account number 0112605/002/0001/000 and 0113150/002/000/000; both containing USD and LD transactions.
That the Defendants managing Director, Deputies Operations manager, Executive Director, Controller Prince Saye, and others corporate officers to be identified having prior knowledge of these accounts and aforesaid private prosecutor being the only signatory regarding transactions to include; deposit and withdrawals. The Defendants criminally opened an escrow account bearing number 0112605/002/5020/000, closed to private prosecutor’s account with the sole intend to commit the herein crimes supra.
Count two further added that between the period of September 9,A.D.2014, up to and including the 15th day of the month of December A .D. 2016, the defendants managing Director, Deputies Operations manager, Executive Director, Controller Prince Saye, and others corporate officers to be of GT Bank by virtue of these positions, knowingly, purposely, criminally and intentionally did take, defraud, deprive and steal monies in the amount of US$930,500.00(Nine Hundred and thirty thousand, five hundred United States dollars) from private prosecutor’s George B. Kailondo checking accounts.
That, during the years interval and at the place mentioned above, defendants with Criminal minds and intent, compared, connived, colluded and with one accord, designed and developed a scheme and or Criminal syndicate debited private prosecutor’s accounts at said bank at divers times and made authorized deceptive withdrawals of US $930,500.00.
That on the 12th day of December A.D. 2014, defendants debited private prosecutor’s USD accounts #00120650020001000, in the amount of US$50,000,00.00 on April 12 A.D. 2015, the Defendants again debited private prosecutor’s with account number 01126050025020000, same being an escrow account, the defendants established without the will and consent of George B. Kailondo and transferred monies therein, in the sum of US$510,000.00.
Count five added that in addition to the Defendant’s scheme and of syndicate of the 23rd day of April A.D. 2015, similarly debited private prosecutor’s US accounts #01126050025020000, an amount of US$3,469,352.26 with narration A/C Tfr to settle matures LC IFO Kailondo petroleum; but instead presented a swift Tfr, reflecting that only US$3.3 million was transferred as the actual cost of the LC. Thereafter, the defendants managing Director, Deputies, Operations manager, Executive Director, Controller Prince Saye and others corporate officers to be criminally made a withdrawal of US$168,352.26(one hundred sixty-eight thousand three hundred and five two dollars and twenty six cent).
Count six narrated that more besides, between the period of January 8,2016, up to and including March 28,2016, defendants deducted from private prosecutor’s account US $50,000.00 via what is being described as reverse due to RTN CHK-Ecobank without private prosecutor’s prior knowledge.
And having done such, the defendants named in the indictment allegedly entered into the said accounts, debited transaction of US$40,000.00, exercising authorized controlled over private prosecutor’s monies thereby, deprived private prosecutor George B. Kailondo of the gainful use of his property.
There and then, they allegedly committed theft of property, saying that the defendants did willfully and intentionally commit the act, the indictment added.