By: Audrey John
Esther Kanu, a Sierra Leonean nurse based in the United States of America has said in cross examination said that she was unable to state the actual price of the container given to Ramatulai Barrie (accused) for sales; because she was confused calculating in leones.
The accused, Ramatulai Barrie is before Magistrate Sahr Kekura of Pademba Road Court No 1 for Fraudulent Conversation.
She was alleged to have converted to her own use and benefits two forty feet containers worth over three hundred million leones entrusted to her by complainant for sale.
Earlier, taking oath on the holy Quran, complainant Esther Kanu in continuation of her testimony said after sending two containers, she enquire about the business, and the accused responded that all is well.
She said she then informed the accused that she need money to come to Sierra Leone and that she should open account and save what she has sold so far.
Complainant said on arrival in March 2021, she called the accused, requested for the sum of one hundred million Leones to buy market but to no avail.
“My Lord the accused told me she has open a foreign account where she kept the money in order for us to be financially strong for the trip to Germany we have planned”, the witness stated.
Complainant said she summoned few witnesses who the accused promised to respect by going and withdraw the money.
Complainant further narrated that some weeks later, she gave the accused some goods including thirty five mattress cost fifty one million, carpets cost twenty million and others all in total sum of seventy eight million five hundred thousand leones for sale.
She re-requested for another amount of money to travel to Germany which the accused promised to send to her.
Upon her refusal to send the money, she left Germany and came to Sierra Leone where the accused gave her three Cheques which she used to withdraw seventy million Leones.
Complainant said after giving her those Cheques, she called the accused to come and check the remaining market but refused. “My Lord it was at that point I went and made the report at Ross Road police station for redress”, she said.
Complainant told the court that she was referred to the Criminal Investigation Department where statement was obtained from her.
Testing her evidence by defense counsel J Wales, complainant Esther Kanu in a question put to her responded that she was in business relationship with the accused.
She said she sent two containers of good on the 10th of September 2021 but cannot ascertain the cost because the leones was confusing her.
In another question put to her, complainant Esther Kanu answered that she reported the matter to the police and gave the total values of both containers.
At that point defense counsel seeks the Bench leave to allow complainant to state the values in dollars.
Back on the file, the money alleged for the first container worth fifty five million Leones, but complainant denied that amount.
She said the second container worth one hundred and thirty two million, six hundred and fifty thousand Leones.
Upon reaching this point, magistrate Sahr Kekura adjourned the matter to the 23rd of February 2022.