By Musa Paul Feika
A police officer has been reprimanded by Magistrate Sahr Kekura for failing to charge Ibrahim Taylor for money doubling. The officer’s reprimand came during last Friday’s proceedings in a fraud case in which Taylor himself was complainant.
“I wondered why the police did not charge complainant to court for money doubling since he gave the said amount to the accused to change it from Sierra Leone’s currency to US dollars,” Magistrate Kekura expressed doubt on the police officer’s conduct.
The police, the magistrate said, ought to have charged complainant for money doubling, but they failed to do so.
Alhaji Lamin Sankoh who allegedly obtained NLe10, 000 (Ten thousand New Leones) from complainant pretending that he would change it to USD450 was however charged by police for conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretences.
Police records stated that the accused, on Tuesday 12th September, 2023 at No. 50 Bai Bureh Road Kissy in Freetown, obtained NLe10, 000 from complainant with a promise that he would change the said sum to US dollars knowing same to be false.
The accused who took no plea as the matter was under preliminary investigation had been granted bail to a surety bonded in NLe40, 000 (forty thousand New Leones).
The magistrate however reminds the accused that “he who comes to equity, must come with clean hands.”
The surety who should be a resident of Freetown should furnish the courts with his personal details and other relevant documents as conditions for approval bail. The matter comes up on 2nd November.