The Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court in Freetown on Monday, 19 January 2026, sentenced the Head of Operations of the United Bank of Africa (UBA), Fredrick Caulker, to a total of forty (40) years’ imprisonment after finding him guilty of multiple corruption-related offences involving the misappropriation of public funds.
The conviction was delivered by Court of Appeal Judge, Honourable Justice Aiah Simeon Allieu, sitting at the Main Law Courts Building. Caulker was charged on a five-count indictment ranging from conspiracy to misappropriation of public funds, contrary to Section 36(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act No. 12 of 2008, as amended by the Anti-Corruption Act No. 9 of 2019.
According to the particulars of the offence, Fredrick Caulker of No. 38A Taylor Street, Wellington, Freetown, while serving as Head of Operations at UBA, misappropriated public funds on various dates. The funds in question were Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) and withholding tax payments made by the Smallholder Commercialization Agribusiness Development Project (SCADeP) to the National Revenue Authority (NRA).
On count five, the prosecution alleged that Caulker conspired with other persons unknown to misappropriate public funds, specifically PAYE and withholding taxes paid by SCADeP to the NRA.
In proving its case, the prosecution called eight witnesses, including a banker from Commerce Mortgage Bank. Prosecution Witness Two (PW2), a former subordinate of the accused at UBA, testified that in November 2023 he received several inflows from Sierra Leone Commercial Bank intended for the NRA. He told the court that one such amount, Le 293,749.80, was posted under the authorization of the accused.
PW2 explained that the funds were not paid into the designated NRA account as required. He further testified that he was instructed by Caulker to process another payment of Le 169,134.29 and later an amount of Le 1,291,623.50, which should have gone to the NRA. Instead, he was directed to transfer the funds into a different account after the accused claimed the initial transfer was made in error. PW2 also recalled processing another payment of Le 255,725.81 under similar instructions.
In his ruling, Justice Allieu held that the prosecution failed to establish the elements of conspiracy and accordingly acquitted and discharged the accused on count five.
However, on counts one, two, three, and four, the court found Fredrick Caulker guilty of misappropriation of public funds. He was sentenced to ten (10) years’ imprisonment on each count, with the sentences ordered to run consecutively, bringing the total sentence to forty (40) years.
In addition to the custodial sentence, the court ordered Caulker to repay Le 1,980,233.40 (One Million, Nine Hundred and Eighty Thousand, Two Hundred and Thirty-Three Leones and Forty Cents) into the Consolidated Revenue Fund. The court directed that the amount be paid within ninety (90) days from the date of judgment.
Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Wednesday, 21st January 2026 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
