By Saio Marrah
Sara Bailor Jalloh, the complainant in an ongoing case of embezzlement at the Pademba road magistrates’ court has testified that Abubakarr Bah, identified in court as a Sales Agent for the local NP station in Kailahun, stole his petrol while he was out of the station.
Testifying before magistrate Mark Ngegba on Friday 3rd November 2023, the witness said the theft occurred while he was away for three months leaving ten thousand, one hundred and fifty liters of diesel (10,150), and ten thousand liters of petrol (10,000) in the care of the accused. He said upon his return, he discovered that the accused had sold all the fuel and damaged the machine at the filling station.
According to him, the accused informed him that the machine was faulty and when has asked the accused to deep a PVC pipe into the fuel tank, it was revealed that the tank was empty. The witness said the accused informed him that a certain Non - Governmental Organization owes him sixty thousand New Leones (NLe 60,000).
He further testified saying he told the accused to let the NGO to repay the money in United States Dollars, which he said amount to ($3,500) three thousand and five hundred United States Dollars. He said the next day, the accused called him to report that he had received $3,500 after which he told the accused to give the money to his younger brother who resides in Bo.
The witness said in reality the accused did not give the money to his brother and he had to travel to Bo in search of him until the police arrested him at his residence in Bo. He said the total amount of money which the accused embezzled was (NLe 618,225) six hundred and eighteen thousand, two hundred and twenty-five New Leones. He also told the court that he signed a cheque of NLe 148,000 for NP to supply fuel to the filling station before he travelled.
During cross-examination by Lawyer Mohamed Wurie Bah, the complainant said the accused had been working for him over 10 years starting at the NP station at New London, Bo until in January 2020 when he transferred him to the Daru branch, in Kailahun District, where the alleged embezzlement occurred.
Responding to a question as to how he knew the amount of fuel which was sold, he said the meter at the filling station recorded that and the invoices indicated that the accused had been buying and selling fuel from NP.
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