By Fatima Kpaka
Marcella Sesay a 35 Year Old woman was on Monday 26 September 2022 dragged to court before Magistrate Mark Ngegba of Pademba Road Court No1, for allegedly defrauding a US Navy officer over Le 1 billion.
The accused Marcella Sesay appeared before Magistrate Mark Ngegba of Pademba Road Court No.1 for fraudulent conversion.
According to the particulars of offences, between 23rd May, 2019 to 19th April, 2022, the accused Marcella Sesay fraudulently converted to her own use and benefit certain property, that is to say the total sum of USD111,750,00 equivalent to the sum of One Billion six hundred and forty eight million three hundred and twelve thousand five hundred old Leones 1,648,312,500, and 1,648,312.
The accused took no plea when she was arraigned.
In his testimony, the First Prosecution Witness (PW1), Charles Theodor Bonney Taylor a Sierra Leonean base in the United State of America as US Navy corpsman recognized the accused as his mate with whom he resided in Freetown.
The PW1 recalled the aforesaid dates when he was in the United State of America sending money to the accused for the purpose of a building project located at Hamilton in the West of Freetown.
He said that during that period, the building was at the foundation stage.
According to PW1, the first transaction was done through Western Union, adding that after that he started sending money on separate occasions in 2019.
He furthered that in 2020 he sent another whooping sum of Dollars through Western Union and Money Gram respectively, while in 2021, the transaction was done through his account in the US to the accused’s Dollar account in Freetown, and in 2022 he made another bank transactions with the accused in Freetown also.
The PW1 disclosed that he later realized that the project was not moving, noting that the accused had earlier told him that the building was ongoing. He said that the accused had been sending him videos of the said building.
At this stage, Prosecutor ASP, Ibrahim S. Mansaray, seek for an adjournment from the Bench in order for the witness to produce the said videos in court to form part of the evidence.
However, Defense Counsel A.R. Mansaray requested for bail on behalf of his client citing section 79 of the Criminal Procedure Act 1965.
Magistrate Ngegba admitted the accused to bail in the sum of LeNM 2,000,000.
The bail conditions required the accused to produce 1 surety that is 40 year old and should be a Sierra Leonean employed in a recognized institution.
The condition added that the surety should be the owner of a property valued not less than Le N500,000 with valuation certificate.
Magistrate Ngegba ordered that the bail condition should be approved by the Master and Registrar, while the matter comes up again on 10th October, 2022.