3 CBL Employees Charged for Fraud -Police Forwards Culprits to Court for Prosecution
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MONROVIA – The Liberia National Police on October 19, 2024 charged three officials of the Central Bank of Liberia for allegedly stealing government money, forwarding them to court to face multiple offenses ranging from theft of property, economic sabotage and criminal conspiracy.
The three officials who were in court detention are Yome W.Titus age 43, Alfreda S. Lighe, Tarr Dicker and Jongo Armah Chenoweth to be identified.
According to a police charge sheet, dated 14th October 2024, the Central Bank of Liberia’s acting Governor Henry Saamoi filed a complaint with the Liberia National Police through its Inspector General Gregory O.W. Coleman for an alleged bank fraud against the government of Liberia in the tune of US$961,777.15.
The complaint was on the same day forwarded to the financial crime investigation division (FCID), crime services department of the Liberia National Police for investigation.
According to our judiciary reporter, CBL authority instructed its staffers at the Accountant Pool to reverse an abnormal US$1,379,391.42 from the CBL teller thirty account at the Liberia Revenue Authority Headquarters in Paynesville to credit government of Liberia payroll 2024 and to debit the teller thirty account but it was later noticed that three CBL employees Yome W. Titus, Afreda S. Lighe and Tarr Dicker who were designated to perform the task on their own transferred the amount of US$961,777.15 to a bank account (00521811046600102) at the International Bank Limited (IB) contrary to the work practice.
During police in-depth investigations conducted found that on August 1,2024, the Central Bank of Liberia through Mr. William Grant Jlopleh, Director for Banking Department (CBL), instructed the CBL risk and compliance department headed by Edward B. Fahnbulleh to investigate an abnormal balance of US$1,379,391.42.
The probe also uncovered that as instructed, the risk and compliance department did investigate and recommended to the authority of the CBL through William Grant Jlipoh that the CBL should be the funds for (a) debit GoL payroll account 2024 with US$961,777.15 and (b) credit teller thirty operational Account with US$417,614.27.
The police investigation indicates that based on the CBL Banking Procedure (6.2.1 CBL Banking Manual), Director Jlipoh, attention the recommendation to the CBL Revenue Unit headed by Tarr Dicker and Yome W. Titus, head of the accounting pool, to review the recommendation and the process the file and revert through the ladder of authority for approval to reverse the abovementioned amount from teller thirty operational account as recommended.
The reversal in this instance case has nothing to do with commercial bank rather from CBL teller thirty operational to CBL GoL payroll account 2024 and teller thirty operational account, said the investigation report.
It continued: “Yome W. Titus, besides authorizing the transfer of US$961,777.15 out of the US$1,379,391.42 to the commercial bank which he shouldn’t as it was not the instruction, he also watch accountant Alfreda S. Lighe moved the US$961,777.15 from the CBL USD suspense account #1261300220001 on the CBL government of Liberia Revenue Account fiscal year 2024 #(1602007008) then to the CBL Ecobank Liberia Limited account #1160400020001, to the CBL TSA consolidated account and finally to a commercial bank the International Bank Liberia Limited account 00521811046600102 contrary to the recommendation from the Risk and compliance department and the instruction from William Grant Jlipoh, Director of Banking CBL.”
Report further states that the reversal did not require movement of the funds through all of the various CBL account numbers mentioned above rather CBL GoL payroll account FY2024 and teller thirty operational account.
“The reversal entries in this instance case executed by Alfreda S. Lighe and Yome Titus should not have go through the real time gross settlement as it has nothing to do with commercial bank,” the investigation also revealed, adding, that the authorization of the funds and the subsequent transferred to the commercial bank in about two hours grossly breached the CBL banking manual 6.1.2 that required that execution of entries as such by the CBL accounting pool should be authorized and approvals by the Assistant/Deputy Director of Banking etc. wherein the concerns authorities must sign in spaces indicated on the reversal form.
The rest of the report read: “That, as indicated on the bank statement obtained by the investigation from the international Bank Liberia Limited through a writ subpoena the A/C 0052181146600102 was opened on March 1,2018 with the A/C title SQL data solution group Inc. with office address at boys town, RIA highway, email address www.sqldatasolutiongroup.org by the individuals’ signature card .
“That, on 6 August 2024, the account which was inactive from 2022 through 2023 was activated.
That, the US$961,777.15 actually hit the IB A/C #0052181146600102 on August 7,2024 and subsequently on the same day a person to be identified went at the said bank and did a check book transaction in an attempt to withdraw the money as indicated on the bank statement.
“That, from the opening date of the account January 1,2018 to August 6,2024 the total amount of US$120,000 was credited to the account and subsequently debited by signatory to the account and others individuals to be identified including one Jongo Armah Chonoweth, a current staff of the CBL at the banking department who debited US$4,250 twice on 12 October 2019 from the said account using checks.”
Meanwhile, the defendants was later released unto their lawyers after they filed their bail bond from the Sky Insurance Company.
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