By Musa Paul Feika
Santigie Kamara, a mechanic, is standing trial at the Ross Road Magistrate Court No.1, which is presided over by Magistrate Wilbri Hamida Moira John, for fraudulently converting a forty two inches plasma television, a fifty inches plasma TV, two size plasma TVs and three home theaters into his own use.
The items were entrusted to the accused by the complainant, Akin Bangura, which are all valued at twelve million Leones (Le12,000,000 ). The police prosecution witness, Alhaji Amara Kanu, told the court that he recognized the accused as a mechanic and recalled 20th January, 2020.
Mr. Bangura said, on that day, at around 9am, he was at his place of work in Lumley in Freetown, when he received a telephone call from the complainant who asked him to meet him at Patton Street in Freetown.
The witness recounted that he later met the complainant at the aforesaid address. “He had asked me to search for a vehicle for him,” Mr. Bangura told the court, adding that when he brought the vehicle to the complainant, himself and him loaded the following items: forty plasma TVs, two size plasma TVs and three home theaters in the vehicle and were taken to the accused`s residence at Rokupa in Freetown.
The witness told the court that all the televisions were checked by the accused and they were in good working order. “The complainant handed over the items peacefully to the accused in my presence,” Mr. Bangura told the court.
He concluded his evidence, stating that he made a statement to the police at the Approved School Police Station in Freetown. The accused is arraigned before the court on one count of fraudulent conversion, an offence which is contrary to law.
The police say Santigie Kamara, on the 20th January, 2020, in Freetown, fraudulently converted certain valuable properties, which are all worth twelve million Leones (Le12,000,000), properties belonging to Akin Bangura. Bail of the accused remains in force and the matter will come up again on the 29th March, 2021.