Josephine Gbantamoi alias Aminata Sillah and Komba Mbayoh were on Monday August 17,2020 admitted to Le300 million bail each after they appeared before Magistrate Hannah Bonnie at the Freetown Magistrate Court No. 1 on Pademba Road for an alleged financial impropriety.
According to the Court’s charge sheet, both accused persons on the May 21,2020, conspired with some other persons to defraud pastor Idrissa Bangura the sum of Le100 million by falsely pretending that they have one and half town pieces of land at Gooding Drive, Goderich in Freetown, knowing the same to be false.
Police also alleged that the first accused Gbantamoi on May 21, 2020, at Allen Town in Freetown, willfully made false statement to Pastor Idriss Bangura that she is the owner of conveyance dated August 12, 1981, bearing the name Aminata Sillah.
Consequently, both accused persons are facing three counts of c conspiracy to defraud contrary to law, obtaining money by false pretense contrary to Section 32(1) of the Larceny Act of 1916, and false declaration contrary to Section 5© of the Perjury Act of 1911.
The charging officer who had earlier testified in court was cross-examined by the second accused (Mbayoh) who was not represented by a lawyer.
In his cross-examination of the police witness Sergeant Abdul Patrick, the accused Mbayoh disclosed that the receipt which pastor Bangura brought to court does not bear his signature, adding that he did not give any receipt for the sale of any land. The first accused (Gantamoi) was also not represented by a lawyer, but she said she hadn’t any question to ask the police witness.
Magistrate Hannah Bonnie admitted the accused persons to Le300 million bail, plus two sureties in like sum. The two sureties must be Sierra Leoneans resident within the municipality, and one of the sureties must own a property valued at Le500 million, and a true certify copy of a title deed must be brought to the Court.
She adjourned the matter to August 28, 2020.
By Isabella Cassell
19/8/2020. ISSUE NO: 7890