By Musa Paul Feika
Kelvin Conteh is standing trial at the Ross Road Magistrate Court No. 1, which is presided over by Magistrate Wilbri Hamida Moira John, for allegedly obtaining one hundred and forty eight million Leones (Le148,000,000), from the complainant, Alhaji Yao Bah, pretending that he had two hundred and fifty bundles of zinc for sale, knowing the same to be false.
The police prosecution witness, who is also the complainant, told the court that he recognized the defendant as a driver, who normally supplies him with goods and could recall sometime in June 2017.
On that day, the witness said he was at his shop, at Hasting outside Freetown, when the defendant met him and demanded money from him. “He told me he had two hundred and fifty (250) bundles of zinc for sale,” Mr. Bah told the court.
He said the defendant later supplied him the bundles of zinc. He said, when they offloaded the zinc, he asked the defendant for a receipt, but the defendant promised to bring it after he had finished paying the remaining money.
The witness recounted that, initially, he made a part payment of thirty eight million Leones (Le38,000,000) to the defendant. A receipt was produced and tendered to form part of the court`s records.
Mr. Bah told the bench that, one day, he was at his shop when certain police officers, from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), and a Lebanese businessman, whose name he could not recall, arrived at his shop and told him that the defendant have sold stolen goods to him, which are valued at one hundred million Leones (Le1,000,000).
According to him, he accepted their claim, adding that the Lebanese businessman asked him to pay the said sum or he would take him to the CID for investigation. The witness detailed the bench that he was afraid to face the law. As a result, himself and the Lebanese man made an undertaking, in the presence of some police officers, to pay him and, according to him, he made the payment.
Mr. Bah said he paid one hundred and forty eight million Leones (Le148,000,000) to the defendant, which receipt was also tendered to form part of the evidence.
The defendant is before the court allegedly for obtaining money by false pretences and causing money to be paid, which are all contrary to the laws of Sierra Leone.
According to the police charge sheet, Kelvin Conteh, sometime in June 2017, at Hasting outside Freetown, obtained one hundred and forty eight million Leones (Le148,000,000) from Alhaji Yao Bah, pretending that he had two hundred and fifty bundles of zinc for sale, knowing the same to be false.
The defendant is on bail and the matter was adjourned to 22nd February, 2021.