May 27, 2021
By: Francis F.M.Harding
A student of Institute of Public Administration and Management Osman Jalloh has testified before Magistrate Sahr Keikura of Court No 1 in Freetown on the 26th May, 2021 at the Pademba Freetown in an alleged matter between the State and Ibrahim Jalloh.
According to the police charged sheets the accused person is charged with one count charge of obtaining money by false pretense contrary to section 32 (1) of the Larceny Act 1916.
It’s alleged in count one that the accused person on the 23th April, 2021 at Congo Cross Freetown obtained the sum of three million five hundred thousand Leones (Le3, 500,000/00) from Osman Jalloh by falsely pretending that that the accused person have a single bed room and a parlor (self-contained) knowing the same to be false.
Testifying in court, the witness said that he knew the accused person as an agent officer and that he can recall the incident on the 23rd April, 2021.
The witness said he was looking for house to reside when he came into contact with the accused person. He said he went with the accused person at the said house at Bendu drive Lumley in Freetown where he selected the one single bed room.
Mr Jalloh said he asked for the owner of the said house the accused person said he is in Holland.
The witness continued that he made payment in front of the accused person and his lawyer (Foday Idrissa Esq.) for a single room self-contained the sum of three million five hundred thousand Leones (Le3,500,000/00). In his testimony he said that he met the accused person and his lawyer at the office of the lawyer at Congo Cross Freetown and they issued him with a receipt dated on the 23rd April, 2021.According to the arrangement, the Witness said he was supposed to move in the house on the 1st May, 2021.
He continued that when he was calling the accused person he was not picking his call and when he finally get him the accused person was not specific for his moving into the house and he later called his lawyer and explained to him.
The complainant said he used his friend phone (Mohamed Karim Koroma) to track the accused person at Emergency junction Goderich Freetown.
He continued to say that later the lawyer sent two Criminal Investigation Officer from the Congo Cross Police Station and finally the accused person was arrested and brought to the station where he made statement and later the lawyer came to make his own statement at the Congo Cross Police Station.
Later at the end of the proceeding that was the time Lawyer H.U. Kanu said she will opted to be her lawyer in this matter and pleaded for the bench to give her short date for her to consult with her client.
The State prosecutor prosecuting the matter is Police Constable Sargent15152 Turay H.B. The matter has been adjourned to the 28th May, 2021.
In another development in the same court No.1, three file for the same accused person came up on the same counts of obtaining money false pretense of which he pleaded quality to the offences. The other matter was adjourned to 31st May, 2021 and the Sargent 9155 Macarthy D is prosecuting for the State, and the Sargent 18245 Zainab B is prosecuting for the State and the matter was adjourned for the 28th May, 2021.