By Janet A. Sesay
Mohamed Bah an auxiliary staff at the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Country Planning, on Thursday, 19 June 2025, made another appearance before Magistrate John Manso Fornah of Pademba Road Court No. 2 in Freetown for allegedly forging a survey site plan document purporting it to be authentic.
Bah is arraigned before the court on five count charges ranging from conspiracy to commit a felony contrary to law, forgery, uttering forged survey plan, trespass and obtaining money by false pretense contrary to Section 32 (1) of the Larceny Act 1916.
The charge sheet indicates that that Bah on the 13th February, 2025, at the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Country Planning at Youyi Building in Freetown, conspired with other persons unknown to commit a felony to wit, forgery.
The indictment furthered that Bah on the same day and place with intent to defraud, forged a survey site plan document purporting it to be an authentic survey plan knowing same to be false.
The indictment also indicates that Bah also uttered and forged a survey site plan document purporting it to be a true and accurate survey plan with LS Number 313/25 for a-1.1090 acre of private land at Kotopema, MacDonald, off Peninsular Road in Freetown, purported property of Mr. Sheku Jawara and Mrs. Isata Selvine Jawara knowing it to be forged and with intent to defraud.
The indictment also indicates further that the accused, Bah, on 3rd January, 2025, unlawfully entered into a State Land situate at Kotopema- MacDonald in Freetown having being warned not to do so and that Bah, from the 1st to 6th January 2025 at Bar Junction, Goderich in Freetown, obtained the sum of Seventeen Thousand Leones (Le 17,000) from Sheku Jawara by falsely pretending that he will survey a piece of land at Kotopema-MacDonald and prepare a true and accurate survey plan knowing same to be false and being property of Derrick Obioseh.
In his testimony, a staff of the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Country Planning, Abraham Copper referred to the accused; Mohamed Bah as an auxiliary staff at the Ministry.
He went on to tender the original survey plan of the said land bearing the name Derrick Obioseh and he also tendered the fake survey plan of the same land bearing the name Sheku Jawara and Isata Selvin Jarawa.
Witness Cooper in his testimony said he signed the original survey plan on behalf of the Director of Surveys and Plans at the Ministry of Lands.
He furthered that the said land is situated at Peninsular Road, York and that is what is in their record of the Lands Ministry. Cooper further told the court that the “fake survey plan” must have been copied from the original survey plan of the land situated at Katopema MacDonald bearing the name and L.S. Number of what already was on the existing survey plan belonging to Derrick Obioseh.
Responding to a question from the Prosecutor, DSP Sorie Conteh on what it means for a staff of the Ministry who engages in such an act, witness Cooper said it is against their ethics at the Ministry and so the Ministry treats such acts with all seriousness.
He furthered that as a result of such an act, they have escalated the matter to the Minister and his Deputy for appropriate action to be taken.
According to him, the Minister of Lands is the Chairman of Surveys and Plans.
The witness further described the act of the accused as “criminal”. He went on to cite a voice message where the Minister speaks about such an act saying that it may lead to the public having perception that it is the Minister who had been doing such criminal acts.
At cross-examination, the witness confirmed that the accused person is a Supporting staff at the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Country Planning, whose role is to provide support to staffs on payroll and therefore recognized the support the accused person has been rendering to official staff of the Ministry.
He however pointed out that Support Staffs at the Ministry are being supervised, but he could not tell the exact person who supervises them.
He furthered that auxiliary Staffs are being supervised by their immediate bosses, who brought them in, but could not tell who Bah’s immediate supervisor is and that the accused is not directly under his supervision.
After cross-examination, the case was adjourned to June 24, 2025 for continuation.