By Fatima Kpaka
Freetown, Sierra Leone – Lamin Tarawally, a senior accountant at Hastings Toll Gate, has been remanded by Magistrate Sahr Kekura for allegedly stealing over NLe300,000 three hundred thousand new Leones and forging Standard Chartered Bank deposit slips on behalf of the Toll Gate company.
The accused appeared in court on six counts, including conspiracy to defraud, uttering forged documents contrary to section 6(1)(2) of the Forgery Act of 1913, and larceny by servant contrary to section 17(1)(a) of the Larceny Act of 1916.
According to the charge sheet, between Friday 1st and Monday 4th November 2024, at Hastings Toll Gate, Freetown, Tarawally conspired with others to defraud the West Africa Operation and Management Company (WAOMC). He is accused of forging and uttering a Standard Chartered Bank Cash Deposit Slip dated 2nd November 2024, with a face value of One Hundred and Forty-Two Thousand Seven Hundred and Eighty-Nine new Leones, purportedly prepared and signed by his junior accountant, Ibrahim K. Gbundema.
The charge sheet also alleges that Tarawally forged another bank deposit slip amounting to Two Hundred and Eighty-Three Thousand One Hundred new Leones, dated 4th November 2024, purportedly prepared and signed by Alhaji S. Mansaray, another junior accountant at WAOMC.
Additionally, Tarawally is accused of stealing Three Hundred and Sixty-Four Thousand Four Hundred and Four new Leones from WAOMC.
During the court proceedings, Assistant Superintendent of Police Ibrahim Mansaray led evidence from witness Alhaji Sheku Mansaray, who identified Tarawally as his senior colleague at WAOMC’s Hastings Toll Gate station.
Sheku Mansaray, a junior accountant, testified that his responsibilities included receiving money from toll gate collectors, comparing fiscal cash to software records, and preparing ‘Demand Notes’.
He explained the process of verifying and documenting the collected cash, which included counting the money, signing slips with collectors, and sending bank slips to the company’s WhatsApp group for verification by the head of finance, Tarawally. Sheku Mansaray added that he always handed over the cash and bank slips to Tarawally, as he was responsible for depositing the money in the bank.
On Friday 1st and Monday 4th November 2024, Sheku Mansaray prepared “Demand Notes” from the collected monies, which were verified and signed by both parties.
The prosecution sought an adjournment to present the “Demand Notes” in court.
Lead defense counsel Chernor Kamara applied for bail on behalf of the accused. However, prosecutor Ibrahim Mansaray objected, arguing that Tarawally might interfere with prosecution witnesses. Magistrate Kekura refused bail, citing concerns that the accused could influence his subordinate and other witnesses.
The matter comes up on February 3, 2025.