By Musa Paul Feika

Magistrate Sahr Kekura of Ross Road Court in Freetown has last Friday committed a fraudulent conversion case to high court involving Kabba Sorie Suma.

 Suma was before the court on a count of fraudulent conversion contrary to the Larceny Act, 1916.

The charge, Magistrate Kekura said, was read to the accused who was not allowed to take a plea since the court was conducting preliminary investigation.

Police records showed that the accused, on diverse dates, between 1st March and 30th April 2016 at Samuel Street Kissy, in Freetown, fraudulently converted seventeen thousand United States dollars ($17,000) equivalent to forty-two thousand Leones (NLe42,000) entrusted to him  by complainant, Borbor John Conteh for the purpose of buying building materials.

All prosecution’s witness were cross-examined by defence counsel, G. Conteh who made a no-case submission saying “there was no sufficient evidence against the accused.”

On the contrary, two prosecution witnesses, during examination-in chief, told the court that the complainant entrusted the said amount to the accused for the purpose afore-mentioned.

Magistrate Kekura committed the matter to high court for further hearing relying on witnesses’ testimonies and accused’s confessional statements made to the police.

When defence counsel was asked if he had anything to say in respect of the committal, he answered in the negative adding that he would not offer further evidence on the matter.