Abubakarr Turay, Director of Public Education and Outreach Department

The High Court of Sierra Leone Holden at Freetown, presided over by the Honourable Justice Fatmata Bintu Alhadi JSC, has convicted Henry Kamara, an agent of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and of Holy Family School Quarters, Deep Eye Water, Wellington, Freetown; Marion Follah Musu Kamara of the same school and also an agent of WAEC; and Emmanuel Kobby, an Information Technology engineer of Holy Family School in Calaba Town and of No. 355 Bai Bureh Road in Freetown.

The Honourable Judge convicted Henry Kamara on one (1) count of Soliciting an Advantage, contrary to Section 39 (1) of the Anti-Corruption Act No. 12 of 2008 (as Amended), two (2) counts of Accepting an Advantage, contrary to Section 39 (1) (b), and one (1) count of Conspiracy to Commit a Corruption Offence, contrary to Section 128 (1); Marion Follah Musu Kamara was convicted on one (1) count of Soliciting an Advantage; and Emmanuel Kobby on one (1) count of Conspiracy to Commit a Corruption Offence, of the selfsame Act. 

The learned Judge sentenced Henry Kamara to pay a cumulative fine of NLe120, 000 on all four counts in three years. Marion Follah Musu Kamara was sentenced to pay NLe30,000 in a year, while EMMANUEL KOBBY was sentenced to pay a fine of NLe60,000 to be paid in a period of two years.

Furthermore, the First and Second Convicts, Henry Kamara and Marion Follah Musu Kamara, are prohibited from running any educational institution for three years, including the Holy Family Secondary School located in Deep Eye Water, Wellington , in Freetown; and the Third Convict, Emmanuel Kobby, is banned from working for any educational establishment for a period of three years.

By an indictment dated 24 February 2020, Henry Kamara, Marion Follah Musu Kamara, and Emmanuel Kobby were charged with various corruption offences. The charges alleged that they, on an unknown date between 1 January and 28 September 2019, solicited sums of money totalling Five Thousand Six Hundred and Fifty Leones (Le5,650) from various individuals to allow candidates of the 2019 Private WASSCE to sit to the examination at a dwelling house, and not at the designated centre- the Holy Family Secondary School.

In this regard, the Commission wishes to reassure the general public of its relentless commitment to combating Academic Malpractices and other forms of corruption at all times.