Monrovia – The outgoing Judge of the Criminal Court C at the Temple of Justice, Nancy Sammy on Saturday, February 22 acquitted five employees of the defunct First International Bank (FIB), who were on trial for multiple criminal charges.
Judge Sammy, in her ruling, said the court could not hold the Defendants guilty because state prosecutors failed to prove their case against the Defendants who were been tried for money laundering, theft of property, criminal conspiracy, forgery and criminal facilitation.
The Judge said she analyzed the evidence produced by the parties; and determined that the single issue to be considered was whether or not the state proved the guilt of the Defendants beyond a reasonable doubt to warrant conviction?
The female Judge, who presided in a bench trial – serving as both Judge and jurors – added that a Defendant charged with the commission of a criminal offense is presumed innocent until the contrary is proved by the prosecution.
“Wherefore and in view of the foregoing, the prosecution having failed to prove the case against the Defendants beyond a reasonable doubt the Defendants are hereby adjudged not guilty of all crimes for which they were indicted, as such they are hereby acquitted and are forever barred from answering the said charges,” said Judge Sammy.
Another part of Judge Sammy’s ruling ordered the Sheriff of Criminal Court “C” to return to the Defendants all properties including vehicles that were seized from them prior to the rendition of the judgment.
The five acquitted Defendants are: Jeremi Tegli, Head of Operation, Africanus Freeman, Cash Manager, Robert Cummings, Teller, Victora Yanguba resident Auditor, Aurelia Tamba, a teller.
They were among six other Defendants that were indicted by the state between January 2012 and February 2013.
The indictment drawn by the Grand Jury of Montserrado County claimed that the acquitted Defendants did knowingly, purposely, intentionally conspire to and did jointly and severally launder and steal monies from the First International Bank (FIB) by orchestrating a plan in which the FIB suffered a loss of over US$3,870.859.79 and L$40, 349.285.00
The indictment indicated that the Defendants allegedly approved over draft amounts for over 211 accounts that were dormant and thereafter withdrew and or caused to be withdrawn the credited amounts from accounts by the use of withdrawal slips filed in, approved, signed and in some instances not signed and without the knowledge and participation of the accounts holders.
Following the court’s ruling, one of the acquitted Defendants Jeremi Tegli, who was the Head of Operation speaking on behalf of his colleagues, accused someone in the management of the bank of making up this false allegation that was only intended to tarnish their reputation.
“In the seven years period of our indictment was very difficult for us and our families, however, we pray the almighty God for taking us through and the Judge for her farsightedness in her judgment but the state did not prove anything to warrant our conviction,” said Tegli.