The Criminal Court “C” enforcement of Two Million Three Hundred and Thirteen Thousand United States Dollars, in the judgment against the Bloom Bank Africa, formerly Global Bank, was greeted with strong resistance by employees of the Bank. The resistance resulted from the intervention of their lawyer Cllr. Jimmy Bombo, who throughout the trial represented the Bank, it all started when the court officers including some officers of the Liberia National Police (LNP), assigned at the Temple of Justice, based on an enforcement ordered from the assigned Judge, Dixon, the court officers went there to have the bank closed for its inability to comply with its own stipulation plans. Interestingly, the bank had paid 25% of the actual judgment of 2:3million, of which they have deliberately refused to meet up with the stipulation plans. When the Court officers arrived at the bank, they were ushered in by a female private security officer assigned at the bank. The team of the court officers immediately went to the office of the bank manager to notify him about the execution order from the court, to close down the bank. Surprisingly, the bank manager refused to receive and sign the execution order and also asked his employees not to leave the bank after they were asked by the court officers to get outside to enforce the Court Order. While in the process of trying to convince the bank employees to get out of the bank, it was went Cllr. Bombo appeared on the scene, apparently, he made have been contacted by the bank manager. When Cllr. Bombo appeared on the scene, he became to rain insults at the court officers which action led to some of the bank employees disrespecting the court officers and vowed not to get outside the building. It was based on the Bank officials’ resistance and Cllr. Bombo’s insults that angered the court officers to have the entrance of the bank chained. Bombo and his disgruntled clients were locked up in the bank and the court officers left the scene. The Supreme Court final ruling stated that the trial court is hereby affirmed with the modification that the appellant pays into the accounts of the private prosecutor the amount of US$2,313,965.11 since the records established that the said amount were not accounted for. The high court ordered the Clerk to send a mandate to the Criminal Court “C” commanding the judge presiding therein to resume jurisdiction over the case and give effect to the judgment of this opinion. June 11, 2021, the Ministry of Justice sent a communication to the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission requesting the Commission to launch a formal criminal investigation into claims made by Kailondo Petroleum, Inc., the private prosecutor herein, of dubious and fraudulent withdrawals of over US$4,830,380.28 and L$8.7 million from various accounts of appellee’s business entity by the appellant, the Management of Global Bank Liberia Limited, represented by and through its Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Rotimi Sangodeyi and all authorized personnel, acting in their various positions. After the LACC’s investigation, it found the appellant culpable. It recommended that the Appellant be made to restitute the total amount of US$3,460,422.92 and L$6,245,800.00 to the appellee for influencing and authorizing the withdrawals, transfers, and deductions of commissions & fees from the private prosecutor’s accounts (Escrow and Current) bearing account numbers (103010204953, 103010108930, 103020104523 & 10302012015198) in both currencies in several amounts. That, from the periods 2014 to 2021 thereabout, the Management of Global Bank Liberia Limited represented by its Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Rotimi Sangodeyi, and all authorized personnel in the City of Monrovia, County of Montserrado, Republic of Liberia having influenced or authorized the withdrawals, transfers, deduction of commissions & fees from the (Escrow and current) accounts of Kailondo Petroleum Inc., bearing account numbers (103010204953, 103010108930, 103020104523, & 10302012015198) in both currencies (USD and LRD) without the authorization of the company’s CEO, Cllr. George B. Kailondo in several amounts totaling USD3,460,422.93 & LD6,245,800.00. That on June 26, 2015, you Defendant Management of Global Bank Liberia Limited represented by its Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Rotimi Sangodeyi, and all authorized personnel carried out a debit transaction in the amount of US$150,000.00 affecting the current account (A/C#:103010203299) of Kailondo Petroleum Inc., with the narration ACCOUNT TO ACCOUNT TRANSFER. That the said transaction created an overdraft (negative status) on the Kailondo Petroleum account thereby indicating a balance of US$18,875.79 as established by the LACC’s investigation. In addition, a review of the bank statement showed that Kailondo Petroleum Inc.’s account was debited (withdrawn) with the amount of USD150,000.00 and the corresponding credit posted to GBLL General Ledger (A/C Title: 7 INW CLEARING CREDIT SUSPENSE –USD) without evident of the instrument/CHECK presented to the investigative team for validation. That on May 4, 2016, you Defendant Management of Global Bank Liberia Limited represented by its Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Rotimi Sangodeyi, and all authorized personnel also carried out a debit transaction of USD310,622.35 with the narration “PAYMENT OF PRINCIPAL” without a debit instruction or authorization to process said transaction. There was no evident to establish the monthly repayment on this loan facility due to lack of documentations. The investigation established that the said amount was debited on Kailondo’s account as payment against a loan facility of USD500,000.00 given to Kailondo on June 22, 2015 for two (2) years period as evident by the Bank Statement in the possession of the Investigation. On February 22, 2022, the Republic of Liberia, by an indictment drawn from a True Bill returned by the Grand Jury, charged the appellant for the commission of the Crimes of Theft of Property and Misapplication of Entrusted Property for the said alleged unauthorized debit transactions.
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