By Saio Marrah
James Baimba, 31 of Four Mile, an area just outside Freetown has appeared before a magistrate in Freetown and charged with defrauding the sum of (one hundred and twenty-two thousand and seven hundred new Leone NLe 122, 700 from different people on the promise of facilitating their travel abroad.
The accused pleaded not guilty to all nine counts ranging from obtaining money by false pretences to altering and forging documents.
The details read out in court before principal magistrate, Mark Ngegba are that he obtained the sum of NLe 33,000 from Albert Sesay at Four Mile Junction, between 1st September and the 1st October last year on the pretext of facilitating his travel to The Bahamas. The court also heard that between the 15th July and 10th August 2022, at the same Four Mile Junction, the accused allegedly collected NLe 32,000 from Musa Abdul Sesay on the pretext of facilitating his movement to Bahamas and also made the same proposal to Alusine Kamara also of Four Mile and collected NLe 21, 700.
The details of the other charges are that the accused also collected NLe 17,000 from Khalil Imran Deen Dumbuya, and NLe 19,000 from Umaru Jalloh on the pretext of facilitating one Billkish Kargbo’s travel to Germany. He was also accused of forging one Air ticket for Copa Airlines on the 30th October 2022 purporting that it was issued by the airline and did the same with one air ticket for Turkish Airlines in the name of Albert Sesay.
In his bail application lawyer, Ibrahim Turay, told the magistrate that the accused will not tamper with witnesses and complainants, and that surety was in place.
The accused was granted bail in the sum of NLe 100 with two sureties that should be resident in Freetown. The sureties were also required to provide a receipt of utility bill payments in Freetown.\
Copyright © 2023 Politico Online (24/02/23)
