By: Audrey Raymonda John
Mohamed Kamanda, a driver attached to the House of Parliament, made his first appearance before Magistrate John Manso Fornah at Pademba Road Court No. 2 in Freetown on a charge of larceny, contrary to Section 2 of the Larceny Act, 1916.
According to the particulars of the offence, on Tuesday, 30 December 2025, at the Parliament building, Tower Hill, Western Area, Freetown, Kamanda allegedly stole a Nissan Armada V8 Jeep with registration number MDR 001, valued at USD 75,000, Le 20,000 in cash, and a pair of sunglasses, with the total value of Le 1,827,890. The property belonged to Honourable Dixon Momoh Rogers.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Sorie Conteh led the prosecution. Witness Princess Christina Abioseh Dumbuya, employed at Parliament, testified that she recognized Hon. Rogers as the Chief Whip of Parliament and knew Kamanda as a driver. She recounted that on 5 January 2026, she received a call from the Chief Driver, Mohamed Kamara, reporting the vehicle missing. Upon checking the logbook, it was confirmed that Kamanda had taken the vehicle without authorization.
The witness described attempts to contact the defendant and his family, all of which failed as their phones were switched off. She also reached out to Hon. Emerson Lamina, who had recommended the defendant, and later coordinated with Kamanda’s cousin, Abass, to recover the vehicle. Abass arranged a meeting with Kamanda, during which he disclosed the location of the stolen vehicle. Police, in coordination with the witness, recovered the vehicle from a guest house. A snapshot of the recovered vehicle was taken as evidence.
The total value of the vehicle and property was confirmed to be USD 75,000. A statement from the witness was recorded at the Central Police Station.
- Gaber Esq. represented the defendant.
Magistrate Fornah refused bail, citing the seriousness of the offence. The matter was adjourned to 23 January 2026.