By Abass Jalloh
Magistrate Mark Ngegba of the Pademba Road Court No. 1 in Freetown has granted a one hundred and fifty thousand Leones (NLe 150,000) bail to Town Chief, Alhaji Ansumana Kallon, from Belebu village in Kenema district charged for allegedly defrauding Augustine Ansumana Gamoh, a lecturer at Fourah Bay College (FBC), University of Sierra Leone.
The defense led by Bob Refell, applied for bail for the accused, noting that he had already been granted bail by the police in Kenema after he was first arrested, and that the chief had been complying with the court by his appearances.
Chief Kallon, was before the court to answer to a charge of obtaining Goods by False Pretences contrary to section 32 (1) of the Larceny Act of 1916.
The particulars of offences stated that the accused on the 22nd September 2020 at FBC campus, with intent to defraud, obtained one white Toyota Hilux valued the sum of five thousand Dollars ($ 5,000), a property of Gamoh, the complainant.
He denied charge levied against him.
In his testimony yesterday 8th September 2022, led by Sergeant Mohamed Lahai, Gamoh, who resides at 47 Lower Faculty (FBC), said he recognized the accused in the dock and got to know him through his younger brother, Mahmoud Kamara, who works for the Independent Media Commission (IMC) at Siaka Stevens Street in Freetown.
The complainant recalled how on the stated date, he got a call from Mahmoud that he wanted to see him.
He said when he got to the office he met both the accused and Mahmoud sitting together. His brother introduced the accused to him.
He said Mahmoud told him that Kallon was hoping to buy a Toyota Hilux car and that knowing he had one, he (Mahmoud) mediated for the accused to buy the car. He said he told them that he would not sell.
“Mahmoud convinced me to sell the car and I gave him consent”, the complainant said, adding that he told them the car would cost five thousand dollars, which Kallon accepted.
According to the complainant, the accused said he needed time to test the vehicle and gave it to him for a test drive. He said he advised the accused that they needed to arrange a time limit because another person wanted to rent the vehicle also.
He said he asked for five million Leones (NLe 5,000) per week but that the accused talked to this brother to allow him to pay three million five hundred Leones (NLe 3,500) per week, and he agreed.
He said the accused later brought one million Leones (NLe 1,000) as a deposit for as part of the 5,000 dollars, which prompted him to give him every spare parts and particulars of the vehicle.
His life card was presented and tendered as evidence in court.
He said after three months, the accused could not get back to him, saying he was going to Kabala.He said he had to use another vehicle to chase him.
He said he reported the issue to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters in Freetown and in the company a police officer, Kallon was arrested in Belebu village in Kenema and brought back to Freetown.
During cross-examination by Lawyer Refell the complainant could not tell when he first registered the vehicle.
Lawyer Refell put it to the complainant that the vehicle was first registered in 2001, but the complainant stated that the vehicle was borded to him.
He said he bought the vehicle in 2011, according to its life card and that he had used the vehicle for about nine years but had no knowledge of its mileage.
He said the accused had not been contacting him and did not know whether his brother had any contact with him because his car was nowhere to be seen.
Refell put it to the complainant that there was no concrete agreement between him and the accused, and the complainant responded that there was no formal but verbal agreement. No re-examination was done by the prosecution.
The matter was adjourned to the 27th September 2022.
Copyright © 2022 Politico Online
