By Alimatu Jalloh
Three accused person, Michael Forbie Director of Estates State House, Zaino Deen Karim Director of Finance at Petroleum Directorates and Williams Forbie a former SALCAB engineer have on Tuesday 6th February, 2024 made another appearance before Magistrate Santigie Bangura of Pademba Road Court No 2 for alledgely obtaining Le 46,000,000 and a Nissan vehicle from one Daniel Sellu for the investment of a fiber optic project for profit.
They were arraigned for the Crime of Fraudulent Conversion.
The police are claiming that the accused Michael Forbie, Williams Forbie and Zaino Deen Karim sometime between the 1st of January and 31st of December 2020, at Freetown, fraudulently converted to their own use or benefit the sum of forty-six million Leones old Leones and one Nissan vehicle valued at $ 15,000 equivalent to Le 150,000,000 from Daniel Sellu for the purpose of investing a fiber optic project for profit knowing it to be false.
Shortly after the matter had been mentioned, with the defense and prosecuting Lawyers present, Lawyer Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai representing the defendants stated in court that journalists in their publications indicated that his clients had been involved in fraud where in the charges levied against his clients is not about Fraud and would like the Magistrate to look into it, but Lawyer Charles Williams representing the complainant Daniel Sellu said the charge states Fraudulent Conversion which means it is a case of Fraud.
He then urged the Magistrate to look at the story written by the journalists to know whether it was contemptuous.
Magistrate Bangura said that lawyer Williams should bring the papers to him so that he could read through it to know if there is contempt in the report.
The witness was about to tender pictures of the said vehicle but was asked to wait until the next adjourned date.
The defendants are on bail and the matter was adjourned to 19th February, 2024 for further hearing.