By Janet A Sesay
Three Sea Coach staff at the Lungi end who have identified themselves as Sheik Jimmy, Hassan Kamara and Mohamed Kamara, on Friday, 27th June 2025, made their first appearance before Magistrate Mary Julian Gbloh of Pademba Road Court No.5 on charges of fraud and embezzlement of Sixty-Three Sea Coach tickets valued of over Seventy-One Thousand New Leones (NLE 71, 000) and selling same to customers without the knowledge of the management.
The accused were arraigned before the court on two count charges of conspiracy to defraud contrary to law and embezzlement contrary to Section 17 (1) (b) of the Larceny Act of 1916.
Police alleged that the accused persons on a date unknown between 12th February and 1st April 2025, at Sea Coach Express at the Lungi International Airport, with intent to defraud conspired together to commit a crime.
Police further allege that the accused persons on the same date and place fraudulently embezzled Sixty-Three Sea Coach tickets each costing Forty-Five United States Dollars (USD 45) equivalent to Seventy-Three Thousand, Seven Hundred and Ten New Leones (NLe 73,710,00) without authorization from the management of Sea Coach Express.
When the charges were read and explained to the accused persons no plea was taken.
In his evidence, witness, Micah Tanimu who identified himself as a technician working at Sea Coach Express as the Operations Manager, recognized all three accused persons testifying that that they were all working at the Sea Coach Express branch at Lungi.
The witness went on to recall the 26th March 2025, stating that he was on duty at the Sea Coach Express till 9:10 pm and that he was about to go home when he received a telephone call from one of the Sea Coach Express I.T. Officers, Abdul Sankoh reporting the missing tickets. He said he then told him that they will discuss it in the morning.
He said on the 27th March, 2025, himself and the I.T. Officer Sankoh met and discussed the way forward relating to how to track the mission tickets.
He said they later found out that the tickets had been used and that they were issued out by Mohamed Kamara, the third accused person and so they decided to cross over to Lungi to further investigate the matter.
The witness explained that upon arrival, they discovered ten tickets in the possession of the Third Accused; Hassan Kamara kept in his phone.
Witness Tanimu furthered that they asked the third accused how he got the tickets but that he initially told them that he got them from the first accused Jimmy who was not around at the moment.
He said whiles speaking with the third accused, the first accused Jimmy arrived at the scene and they immediately called his attention to what the third accused Mohamed had told them.
The witness said they asked Jimmy about the tickets who also initially denied knowledge but later told them that the tickets were given to him by the second accused person, Hassan Kamara.
The witness said Hassan Kamara did confirmed that he sent the tickets to the third accused, Mohamed but added that he did not know how the second accused Jimmy got his own tickets.
The witness furthered that the accused persons later took them to the business center where the money transactions were done for the tickets, and that they took snapshots of the place.
At this juncture, the Prosecutor, Sergeant 5598 Santigie Koroma sought for an adjournment to print out the said photos that have been referred to.
Magistrate Gbloh adjourned the matter to the 1st July, 2025 for further hearing.