Former SLRSA Officials Convicted for Le 2 Billion Corruption Scandal

Former SLRSA Officials Convicted for Le 2 Billion Corruption Scandal

The High Court in Freetown has convicted and sentenced the former Executive Director, Sarah Finda Bendu, and Procurement Manager, Victor Labour, of the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) for their involvement in a corruption scandal exceeding Le 2 billion.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) successfully prosecuted the defendants on multiple charges, including misappropriation of public funds and conspiracy. The offences, which took place between 2016 and 2017, centred on unlawful payments made to clearing and forwarding agencies for services that were never legitimately performed.

Delivering the judgment on Tuesday, 16 December 2025, Justice Cosmotina Jarrett found both individuals guilty. Bendu, convicted on eight counts, and Labour, on six, were each sentenced to a fine of Le 30,000 per count, or a default custodial sentence of three years, running concurrently.

Justice Jarrett characterized the crimes as a "sustained and deliberate pattern of corruption," with Bendu, the Vote Controller, authorizing unlawful disbursements and Labour facilitating the scheme through fraudulent documentation.

In addition to the fines, the court mandated that each defendant pay Le 697,245,506.96—one-third of the misappropriated sum—as restitution to the state within six months. Furthermore, both Sarah Finda Bendu and Victor Labour were disqualified from holding public office for a period of three years.