By Janet A. Sesay
Through a Writ of Summon at the High Court in Freetown, Dr. Richard Conteh was dragged to the High Court in Freetown by Marie Sesay, a Sierra Leonean resident in the United States of America in lieu for the recovery of two-town plots of land situated at Mamah Street in Gloucester in the outskirts of Freetown paid for to the defendant, Dr. Conteh.
The matter is before Justice Manuela A. J. Harding at the Freetown High Court.
Marie Sesay through his Lawyer, Augustine Sorie Sengbe Marrah in a Writ of Summon before the court is claiming the recovery of the said two-town plots of land situated at Mamah Street in Gloucester in the Western Area of the Republic of Sierra Leone and an additional $2,000 also paid to the defendant for the purpose of erecting a perimeter fence around an earlier negotiated and paid for four-town plots of land from defendant, Dr. Conteh.
The plaintiff, Marie Sesay maintains that she had negotiated and paid for four-town plots of land to the defendant while she was in the United States of America, payment which she claims she made through the defendant’s United States Bank Account.
During proceedings in the Judge’s Chambers on Monday, 2nd February, 2026, the witness Florence Turay, who identified herself as a younger sister to the plaintiff, was led in evidence by the plaintiff’s lawyer, Augustine Sorie Sengbe Marrah.
Madam Florence Turay went on to testify that sometime in 2010, the defendant, Dr. Richard Conteh visited the United States of America during which period he paid a visit to the plaintiff, Marie Sesay.
The witness said during the visit the plaintiff Marie Sesay indicated to Dr. Conteh that she is interested in securing a piece of land in Freetown and the defendant informed her that he can help her secure a piece of land in Freetown.
Madam Turay in her testimony said that following the return of the defendant to Sierra Leone, he offered to sell to the plaintiff a large portion of land but that the plaintiff insisted to the defendant that she only wanted four-town plots of land.
The witness furthered that defendant informed the plaintiff Marie Sesay that each one-plot of land costs $2,000 to which they both agreed.
Madam Florence Turay stated that upon this agreement, the defendant instructed the plaintiff to make the payment into his United States of America bank, which the plaintiff did with an initial deposit of $5,000. The witness furthered that the plaintiff followed on with another deposit into the defendant’s United States of America account another $3,000, which according to the witness summed the total deposit of the plaintiff into the defendant’s United States of America account to $8,000 for the four-town plots of land agreed.
The witness maintained that following the payments, the defendant did not show her any piece of land as a representative of the plaintiff, until after several requests from the plaintiff. The witness stated that when the defendant finally decided to show them the piece of land he has sold to the plaintiff, the defendant took her (witness) and one of her niece, Mrs. Anna Turay to a piece of land on Leicester at Tree Planting. According to the witness, after they had inspected the said land, Mrs. Turay expressed dislike for the land that its location cannot be conducive for the plaintiff. According to the witness, Florence Turay, they communicated this observation to the plaintiff.
The witness continued that after several months had passed, the defendant again took Mrs. Anna Turay to another piece of land at Mamah Street, at Gloucester, which, the witness stated, was accepted and the information was again communicated to the plaintiff.
Witness Florence Turay said following the acceptance of the piece of land at Gloucester, an additional payment of $2,000 was made to the defendant, Dr. Richard Conteh for the construction of a perimeter fence around the said four-town plots of land as well as the preparation and execution of the Deed of Conveyance of the land in the name of the plaintiff Marie Sesay.
Witness Florence Turay further stated that Dr. Richard Conteh took a very long time to prepare, execute and register the Deed of Conveyance for the said four-town plots of land that has been purchased by the plaintiff, Marie Sesay.
She added that the defendant later produced a Conveyance to the plaintiff but that the plaintiff later realized that the Conveyance was for two-towns plots of land instead of the paid for four- towns plots of land that was purchased and that the plaintiff Marie Sesay categorically rejected the Conveyance and demanded that Dr. Richard Conteh does a Conveyance for the four-towns plots of land she had paid him for.
The witness went on to further testify that following the rejection of the two-town plots of land by the plaintiff, defendant Dr. Conteh attempted to sell the said two towns plots of land to an unknown person after paying for it and when the plaintiff Marie Sesay confronted him, according to the witness, the defendant indicated to the plaintiff that he will provide another two towns plots of land for the plaintiff at the Gloucester community cemetery to which the plaintiff objected, according to the witness.
The witness testified later when the plaintiff Marie Sesay attempted to take possession of the remaining two-town plots of land at Gloucester, the defendant, Dr. Richard Conteh reported her at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for trespassing, alleging that he never sold the two-towns plots of land to the plaintiff.
The witness ended her testimony on the note that the plaintiff, Marie Sesay had suffered damages and financial losses due to the conduct of Dr. Richard Conteh.
Another witness, Reverend Allan Sesay in his testimony said he knew both the plaintiff and the defendant in the matter.
He acknowledged that he was the one who sold the four-towns plots of land to the defendant, Dr. Richard Conteh and while selling it the defendant Dr Richard Conteh informed him that he is buying the land to build hostels for students in the University but that later the defendant told him that the land which he had bought would be given to someone else.
Reverend Allan Sesay furthered in his testimony that later the defendant sent his personal Assistant, Jimmy and a Surveyor to survey the four-town plots of land and Jimmy told him (the witness) that the defendant instructed him to divide the land into two halves.
Reverend Sesay went on that later, Jimmy went to him holding two separate conveyances for him to sign in respect of the land which he did.
He said both conveyances did not have the name of the defendant, Dr. Richard Conteh but one of the conveyances had the name of the plaintiff, Marie Sesay.
He said later the defendant went with police officers to his house and they interrogated him and invited him to make statements at the police station.
Both defendants were cross-examined by the Defense Counsel, Daniel Gbondo representing Dr. Richard Conteh who was absent before the court.
The matter comes up again on Wednesday, 11th February, 2026 for continuation.