By: Audrey Raymonda John
Fifty five years old Amilia Williams made another appearance before Magistrate Mark Ngeba of Pademba Road Court No.1 as she was alledged of obtaining one hundred million Leones from an Immigration worker for the purpose of traveling to America.
The accused was arraigned before the court on three count charges ranging from conspiracy to defraud, obtaining money by false pretenses, obtaining chattel by false pretenses and causing money to be paid by means of false pretenses all contrary to the laws of Sierra Leone.
The charge sheet indicated that the accused between 1 December 2022 and 31 January 2023 at the Immigration Office Gloucester street in Freetown, defraud Jestina Kutubu the sum of one hundred million Leones by falsely pretending that she will facilitate a trip for her and her relatives to Australia for job opportunities.
In her evidence the witness Hawa Koroma recognized the accused in the dock and also said that she knew the complainant Jestina Kutubu.
She recalled on the said date, adding that On the 1 December 2022, the accused and Isha Williams met her at her shop and they told her that they has a program to travel to Australia.
The witness said she then asked Isha and the accused If the program is legal and accused Amelia told her that she is a worker at the America Embassy.
Witness Koroma said that base upon that she then called the complainant Jestina Kutubu to immediately meet her at her shop.
The witness further that upon the arrival of the complainant, the accused said the money for the entire program is Forty million Leones and immediately Infront of her the complainant gave the accused the forty million Leones and the accused told them that they should give her a week to do the program.
The witness further that after one week complainant Jestina call her through her phone to meet her at Victoria park saying that a lot of people have drop for the program and they need to cover that space.
The witness further that at Victoria park the complainant gave another sixty million Leones to the accused for ten of her relatives.
She said the accused later call them to a meeting at the house of Isha where she told them that they should get ready for their travel.
She ended that later they noticed that they have been fraud and since then the accused did not return the money and she made statement at the Hastings police station.
During cross examination by Jimmy Smith, the witness said the total money involved between them and the accused is one hundred million Leones and it was ten people that were involved for traveling.
After cross examination the prosecutor Sellu Tap said that he has another witness but magistrate Ngegba said he had another file to deal with.
The accused is on bail but unable to meet the bail condition and the matter was adjourned to 13th November 2023 for continuation.
