Former NMA Mines Compliance Officer Convicted by the ACC

By Foday Moriba Conteh

In a Press Release issued by the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) on the 15^th October,2021 it was indicated that the High Court of Sierra Leone Holden at Freetown, presided over by the Hon. Justice Cosmotina Jarrett, has on Friday 15th October, 2021, convicted and sentenced Daniel Kapri Serry, a Mines Compliance Officer of the National Minerals Agency (NMA), and of No. 6 Azzolini Highway, Makeni, to pay a fine of Fifty Million Leones (Le. 50,000,000.00) or Serve Five (5) Years Imprisonment, following his conviction on one count of corruption offence.

The Hon. Justice Cosmotina Jarrett convicted Daniel Kapri Serry after he pleaded guilty to Count Three of the charges, Accepting an Advantage, contrary to Section 28 (2)(a) of the Anti-Corruption Act No. 12 of 2008 as amended by Act No. 9 of the 2019 Amendment Act. He was ordered to pay a fine of Fifty Million Leones on or before the 30th November, 2021, or serve a jail term of Five (5) Years.

It could be recalled that the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), on the 26th August, 2021, filed an indictment against Daniel Kapri Serry on various corruption offences. According to the particulars of offence, Daniel Kapri Serry, on diverse dates between 1st and 28th February 2021, peddled influence and accepted an advantage for himself in order to make use of his influence to obtain a benefit from a public body. Between the said dates, Daniel Kapri Serry, accepted the sums of Five Thousand US Dollars (US$5,000), Two Thousand US Dollars (US$2,000) and Three Hundred US Dollars (US$300) respectively for himself from businessmen Chi Clment and Simplice Bedy, in order to make use of his influence to facilitate the release and conveyance to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 15 Kilograms of gold valued at Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand US Dollars (US$350,000). Daniel Kapri Serry also accepted without lawful consideration an IPhone 11 in consideration for him to trace and apprehend one Fatmata Bomporo Sesay, a businesswoman involved in the sale of the said 15 Kilograms of gold.