By Abass Jalloh
A Magistrate attached to Daru Court in the Kailahun District, Aaron Bangura has told the Freetown Magistrate Court No.2 that he witnessed the payment of seventy thousand Leones (NLe70, 000) to Foday Bangura and Mohamed Islam Tarawally who were accused of obtaining the sum of one hundred and forty thousand Leones (NLe140, 000) from Adekallie Bangura on the pretext that they have land for sale measuring four town lots.
Foday and Mohamed face charges of conspiracy to commit a felony and obtaining money by false pretenses.
It was alleged that the men on diverse dates between 31st January and 30th May 2022 at Russell, Peninsular Road, Freetown, obtained NLe 140,000 from the complainant, Adekallie for the land knowing it was false.
They also allegedly conspired with unknown persons to obtain seventy thousand Leones (NLe 70,000) on the same pretext.
Magistrate Bangura testified that he recognized the complainant and the accused persons in respect of the land transaction involving his friend, Ansu Foday Kaikai, who resides in the United States of America, who told him to witness a land transaction on his behalf.
Magistrate Bangura said he met with the complainant who was acting on his friend’s (Kaikai) behalf.
The witness said the complainant identified the land situated in the stated place.
Magistrate Bangura said when he came into the said transaction, the negotiation was already being done and that that was the time he came across the accused persons.
He told the court that one Musa Thomas confirmed to him that the land in question belonged to the accused persons and that they intended to sell it through the complainant on behalf of Kaikai.
“I visited the land for inspection and discovered that there were four town lots valued at one hundred and forty thousand Leones,” he recounted, revealing that on 30th May 2022 he signed as a witness over a final payment of NLe 70,000 made to the accused in Waterloo in the outskirts of east Freetown.
During cross-examination by defense lawyer, Julian Cole, the magistrate confirmed to have spent over eight years of legal experience that led to him being asked contacted to participate in the said transaction and acknowledged verifying the title deed before participating in the transaction.
He also confirmed the first and second accused were the sellers of the land and not one Musa Thomas. No re-examination was done by the prosecution.
Magistrate Isata Sellu-Tucker remanded the accused persons and adjourned the matter to 19th September 2022.
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