Freetown, Sierra Leone — Supreme Court Judge Justice Fatmata Bintu Alhadi has handed down a three-year ban preventing Mr. Henry Kamara and Mrs. Marion Follah Musu Kamara from operating Holy Family Secondary School at Deep Eye Water or managing any other educational institution.
The decision follows their conviction on multiple corruption-related charges linked to irregularities during the 2019 WASSCE examinations.
The couple, along with a third defendant, Emmanuel Kobby, were found guilty of offences ranging from soliciting to accepting improper advantages, all in violation of Section 39(1)(b) of the Anti-Corruption Act of 2008. The case centred on allegations that Henry Kamara, then a West African Examinations Council (WAEC) agent, facilitated private exam sittings in exchange for cash.
According to the prosecution, between January and September 2019, Henry Kamara solicited two million Leones from Olu Williams on behalf of a relative, Simeon, and accepted 450,000 Leones to benefit another candidate, Bodkin.
He was further charged alongside co-accused Emmanuel Kobby for receiving 1.7 million Leones from Elizabeth Kamara to grant similar illicit favour. Marion Kamara was also accused of seeking financial advantage for Williams’ cousin.
Despite pleading not guilty to most charges, the defence failed to counter the prosecution’s seven witnesses, which included an ACC investigator, a WAEC marshal, a bank staff member, and a private candidate. Justice Alhadi ruled that the evidence clearly established the accused persons’ involvement in exam malpractice.
In her judgment, Justice Alhadi underscored the wider harm caused by corruption in the education sector, stressing that such acts “erode public trust, deepen inequality, and weaken the foundations of quality learning.”
Sentencing followed accordingly:
* Henry Kamara was convicted on four counts and fined 30,000 Leones per count (a total of 120,000 Leones), payable within three years.
* Marion Kamara received a 30,000 Leones fine, to be paid within one year.
* Emmanuel Kobby, convicted on one count, was fined 60,000 Leones and banned from working in any educational institution for three years.
Defence counsel E.T. Enoh appealed for leniency, pointing out that the Kamara couple were first-time offenders, long-serving teachers, and caregivers to four children. Justice Alhadi, however, maintained that the gravity of the offence warranted strong sanctions to deter future breaches within the education system.
