By Janet A Sesay
Mohamed Simeon Kargbo has testified in a diamond theft involving John Yusuf Kanu and Fatu Turay who have made their second appearance before Magistrate Hannah Bonnie of Pademba Road Court in Freetown.
It is alleged by police that the accused persons conspired to obtain a certain stone purported to be a diamond from complainant, Mohamed.
While testifying during the day’s proceedings, the witness Mohammed Simeon Kargbo told the court he recognized the accused persons in the dock and recalled 24th December, last year.
On that day, the witness said, he provided his compound for a trade fair to take place there.
The trade fair, according to the witness, attracted traders from different towns and villages. “While moving within my compound, I saw a clean, white stone suspected to be a diamond and picked it from the ground,” the witness said.
The witness further testified that he consulted his neighbor, Aminata Sesay who confirmed that the ‘stone’ was a diamond. “Aminata’s husband also confirmed later that it was a diamond,” the witness added.
After the confirmation, the witness continued, he was about to enter his house when the first accused, John Kanu requested him to see the stone. “I gave him the stone, and the accused ran away with it,” he added.
On the next day, the witness said, he reported the matter at Mile 91 police station where statements were obtained from him by the police.
The witness, Mohamed Simeon Kargbo further testified that the second accused, Fatu went to him, after one week and gave him a wrapped stone saying it was the stone the first accused gave her.
He said the second accused was arrested and taken to the police station where she made statements. Later, the witness went on, the first accused was also arrested and the matter transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department Headquarters in Freetown.
The accused are standing trial on three counts of obtaining property by false pretences, fraudulent conversion and receiving certain stone suspected to be diamond.
The charged sheet indicated that the accused persons, on 24th December, 2019 at Mile 91, Yoni Chiefdom, in the Tonkolili judicial district, Northern Province of the Republic of Sierra Leone obtained curtain stone purported to be diamond, property of Mohamed Simeon Kargbo.
No bail for the accused persons and the matter comes up on 5th February.