By Aminata Phidelia Allie
A 32-year old, who claimed to be an agent for the European airline SN Brussels airline, has been refused bail after he made his first appearance in court on Tuesday for alleged fraud remanded in prison.
Thomas Koroma is standing before Magistrate Komba Kamanda of Court No. 2 in Freetown on two counts of obtaining money by false pretences after allegedly obtaining US$ 1, 300 from the complainant, Abdul Karim Kanu, on the pretext that he would provide him with an airline ticket to Ukraine.
The complainant, who briefly explained his ordeal, said his trip backfired when he got to the Lungi Airport and had cause to call the accused who “switched his phone off on me”. He said he saw the accused about a month after returning to Freetown and called a police officer on him.
“It is now over 3 weeks since he made an undertaking at the police station to return my money, but he is yet to oblige and so the matter was charged to court”, Kanu told the Magistrate.
While applying for bail, defense counsel Julian Cole pointed out that all the accused ever did was to help the complainant get a ticket. He said “a ticket was indeed delivered and travelling did take place on the merit of the ticket”. He pleaded with the Magistrate to take a look at the complainant’s passport to prove him right.
But the Magistrate, who had said that his position against such cases of fraud, robbery with aggravation, robbery with violence and murder would never change, turned down the application “because of the seriousness of the offence”.
The matter comes up on Monday, January 27.
(C) Politico 23/01/14
