By Alimatu Jalloh
Fifty-three-year-old Akim Bangura, a business man made his first appearance before Magistrate Santigie Bangura of Pademba Road Court No.2 in Freetown in a case where he is alleged to have obtained the sum of Le 20, 000 by falsely pretending that he would facilitate for the daughter of one Zainab Kamara to travel to Canada.
According to the particulars of offence sometimes between the 1st and the 28th of February 2023 at Pademba Road, Dwarzak Farm junction, in the western area in Freetown with intent to defraud obtained the sum of Le 20,000 from Zainab Kamara by falsely pretending that he had a travelling program to Canada knowing same to be false. After the charge had been read and explained to the accused person he pleaded not guilty.
Assistant Superintendent of Police, Isatu Baba Musa led the first prosecution witness, Zainab Kamara, a business woman. According to Kamara, she came to know the accused person as a person who facilitate program for travelling to Canada. She recalled that between the 1st and the 28th of February 2023 she met the accused at Benjamin Lane in the company of her friend, Adama who told her that the accused facilitated a travel program for her, adding that upon getting that information, she asked her to pay some money for a program to be done for her to travel to Canada and the accused asked her to pay $3000 in order to facilitate a travelling program for her. She said she went home and brought NLe18, 000 to the accused which he paid to him, and the accused issued her with a receipt. He then produced and tendered the said receipt in court to form part of the court’s records. The witness added that at another time he gave the accused Le 500 for which the latter issued a receipt, and also produced and tendered it. Kamara also informed the court that he later paid to the accused person the sum of Le 1, 500 for which he issued receipt to her, and the said receipts were also produced and tendered in court to form part of the court records and was marked as exhibit A1, B1 and C1 respectively.
The witness further stated that she and the accused person made an agreement which she also produced and tendered in court to form part of the court records, marked as exhibit D1-3. She added that the accused person told her that after two months two weeks her daughter would travel to Canada, but her daughter never travelled, and the accused person stopped communicating with her, and he refused answering her calls. She said that she then reported the matter to the police, and one day she saw the accused walking along New England Ville police station she immediately called a police officer who came out and arrested the accused person. She said that she later made statement to the police.
The accused person had no legal representation, but he cross examined the witness.
Meanwhile Magistrate Bangura refused to admit the accused person to bail and sent him to the male correctional facility in Freetown. He also adjourned the matter to the 24th of June 2024.