By: Audrey Raymonda John
Idrissa Kanu, Momoh Turay, Mohamed Yasannah, Abdul Abu Bangura, Foday Kamara and six others have appeared before Magistrate Hadiru Daboh at Ross Road Court No.3 in Freetown for allegedly stealing 292 jelly cans of Padi cooking oil belonging to Pee Cee and Sons.
The incident occurred on 25 October 2022 at the Wellington Estate, in the eastern part of Freetown.
The accused appeared before the court on two counts of conspiracy and larceny contrary to the laws of Sierra Leone. It was alleged by the police that the accused, on 25 October 2022 at the aforesaid place in Freetown, conspired with unknown persons and stole 292 jelly cans of Padi cooking oil worth thousands of Leones.
Led in evidence by police prosecutor Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Jeneba Bangura, prosecution witness (PW)5, Detective Sergeant Ibrahim Sorie Kamara attached to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters on Pademba Road in Freetown, told the bench that he recognized the accused and recall 25 October 2022.
Kamara continued that he was on duty at the aforesaid headquarters, when a transfer case and inquiring file containing twenty (20) voluntary caution statements from the accused, four endorsed search warrants, two hundred and ninety-two (292) jelly cans of padi cooking oil, two hundred and sixty-six (266) empty cans jelly cans and cash of five thousand and ninety Leones (NLe5, 90.00), was brought to the said unit.
He said the matter was assigned to him for further investigation, adding that on 26 October 2022, a team of police officers headed by Superintendent of Police (SP) Joseph Lebbie, visited Jolaks Company at the Wellington Estate. PW5 said upon their arrival, the Scene of Crime Officer (SOCO), whose name was not mentioned, took photographs of the scene.
The witness said he charged the first to the ninth accused persons with conspiracy and larceny, while he charged the tenth and eleventh accused with receiving stolen goods contrary to the laws of Sierra Leone.
During cross examination Defence Counsel A. Sow representing the accused, put it to the witness that during his examination in chief, he told the bench that the transfer case and inquiring file were transferred to CID, which he answered in the affirmative.
Lawyer Sow suggested to the witness that the 266 empty jelly cans that were discovered at the tenth and eleventh accused’s residence and business places were not manufactured by Jolaks Company. Responding, he said out of the 266 empty jelly cans that were discovered at the tenth and eleventh accused’s residence and business places, some were Padi cooking oil and some were not.
He put it to Mr Kamara that during his investigations, he was informed that the tenth and eleventh accused were businessmen, to which he responded in the affirmative.
Lawyer Sow suggested to him that most of the jelly cans were found outside the tenth and eleventh accused’s residence, responding, he said he could not tell.
Eventually, he put it to him that most of the jelly cans discovered were not manufactured by Jolaks but instead by Leo cooking oil, in his reply; he said he could not tell. The accused are still on bail and the matter was adjourned to 10th February 2023.