By Saio Marrah
Principal Magistrate Mark Ngegba has remanded 47 years old Mohamed Sal in custody until the 25th of February. The accused is facing a 9 count charge ranging from conspiracy to obtaining money by false pretenses. The details are that Sal, who resides at 66 Sir Samuel Lewis Road Aberdeen, obtained money from different people on the promise that he would facilitate their travel overseas.
He appeared in court on Wednesday 15th February, 2023 to answer to the charges contained in 5 separate files.
In one of the files in which he faces three counts it is alleged that sometime in July last year, at his residence he conspired with other persons unknown to commit a felony by obtaining money by false pretences.
It is also alleged that between the 22nd September and 30th November 2022 at the same address, the accused obtained the sum of one hundred and eighteen thousand three hundred and eighty new Leones (Le 118,380) from one Musa Turay with the promise of facilitating his travel to Canada, which ended to be false.
The prosecution says between on the 30th and 1st December 2022, the accused collected the sum of one hundred and thirty thousand, three hundred and seventy new Leones (Le130,370) from the same Musa Turay, promising to facilitate the travel of one Adama Turay to United States of America, which also happens to be false.
He is all alleged to have collected the sum of one hundred and eighteen thousand new Leones from Alhassa Barrie and Mohamed Salim Kamara between the 1st June and the 30th November 2022, assuring them that he would help them travel to Canada and Australia respectively. He failed to deliver on those promises. The situation was the same for Abdul Karim Sesay from whom the accused collected forty one thousand new Leones between 4th December 2022 and 4th January 2023.
Meanwhile, 25 year-old Mohamed Kamara, resident of Moyemi Police Barracks Allentown in Freetown and 19 year-old Santigie Mansaray of 7 Mayenkineh Calaba town in Freetown were also remanded in custody for being in possession of a quantity of copper cables.
Kamara, as first accused who is a Welder, and Mansaray, the second accused who is a Bike Rider, pleaded not guilty before Principal Magistrate, Mark Ngegba in Freetown.
They are both charged with two counts of unlawful possession.
The prosecution alleges that the accused persons were on Thursday 5th January this year, found in possession of a quantity of black copper cables reasonably suspected to have been stolen or unlawfully obtained.
Detective Sergeant Issa Kamara, attached at the Exhibit Office of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Sierra Leone Police brought the exhibits to the court saying they were handed over to him by his colleagues attached to the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA) unit at the CID.
Given the opportunity to put a question to the exhibit officer, the first accused asked the witness if he could recall that one Mr. Shuman was also arrested and detained for the same offence. He said that man gave him the cables to take to his building site at Allen Town but that he had been granted bail.
The magistrate told the first accused that such a question was inappropriate for the exhibit officer because he merely took custody of exhibits and that he should pose that question to the next police witness when the case resumes. The case has been adjourned to the 21st February this year.
The Police prosecutor is Sergeant Lahai Momoh.
Copyright © 2023 Politico Online (17/02/23)
