By Janet A. Sesay
The Director General of Sierra Leone Water Regulatory Agency (SLWRA) Emmanuel Mannah has on Wednesday, 4th June, 2025 testified before Magistrate Mustapha Braima Jah of Pademba Road Court No.1 against Christian Paul Fama whom he alleged he gave Eighty-One Thousand New Leones (NLe 81,000) for the repair of his vehicle.
In his testimony he recognized the accused person in the dock and said he knew him through his driver. Director Manner recalled between October and November 2024, adding that he has a Belgium Mercedes Benz that required servicing and his driver recommended the accused as a mechanic.
He said he then met the accused at Pademba Road and he explained to him the problem of the vehicle. He furthered that the accused told him that he can fix the vehicle and that he requested One Thousand Leones (NLe 1,000) as transport fare to collect the said vehicle from his house to his garage, Mr. Mannah said he gave the money.
He continued that on October, 27th 2024, the accused billed him to pay Forty Thousand New Leones (NLe 40,000) as workmanship and that he tried to negotiate with him but he insisted that the price is none negotiable and so he gave him the said money.
The witness said he passed all the payments through his driver who in turn was giving the said money directly to the accused.
He added that after three weeks, he reached out to the accused to enquire about the vehicle and told him to give him time to repair the vehicle properly.
Director Mannah furthered that after another two weeks, he called the accused again because he wanted to use the vehicle urgently and it was around December, but the accused person told him instead that he needed another extra One Thousand, Eight Hundred United States Dollars (USD 1, 800) but that he negotiated with him and they ended up agreeing for him to pay One Thousand, Five Hundred United States Dollars (USD 1,500) which he paid him, which according to Mr. Manner amounted in total to Eighty-One Thousand New Leones (NLe 81,000).
The witness explained that the accused later brought in the vehicle after the last payment. He said he decided to go on a test driving of the vehicle together with his driver with the intention of driving as far as the Border with Guinea, but that on reaching Jui, the vehicle breakdown. He said he called the accused on his phone through a video call for him to instruct his driver on what to do on the vehicle but that did not salvage the situation. He said the car did not move and he asked the accused to meet them at Jui which he did.
He said the accused observed the vehicle and detected the fault and so the vehicle was again left in his care again to repair.
He said on the following day which was a Sunday he was with the hope that the car would have been repaired on Monday but the accused never repaired the vehicle.
He said he then made statements at the Criminal Investigating Department headquarters in respect of the issue.
The witness was cross examined by Defense Counsel Bawoh.
After the cross-examination the matter was adjourned to 11th June 2025 for continuation of the matter.
Christian Paul Fama is arraigned before the court on a count charge of obtaining money by false pretense contrary to Section 32(1) of the Larceny Act of 1916.
Fama is alleged to have fraudulently collected the sum of Eighty-One Thousand New Leones (NLe 81,000) from Emmanuel Mannah under the pretext of repairing his Mercedes Benz GL450, with registration number AXI 424, between October and November 2024 at Brookfields in Freetown.