By Musa Paul Feika
The Proprietor of Pa Sweet Restaurant, situated at Wilkinson Road in Freetown, is standing trial at the Industrial Social Security Division of the High Court of Sierra Leone, which is presided over by Magistrate Hannah Bonnie, for alledgly failing to pay NASSIT contributions for his employees.
The defendant, Mohamed Alie, is arraigned before the court on one count charge of failing to comply with Section 32 (1) (a) of the National Social Security and Insurance Trust NASSIT Act No. 5 of 2001, an act that is contrary to law.
Court details state that, on diverse dates between July 2019 and 7th March 2020, Pa Sweet Restaurant, being an establishment in the Freetown Judicial District in the Western Area of the Republic of Sierra Leone, failed to pay NASSIT contributions for its employees.
Mohamed Alie pleaded guilty when the charge was read to him. He told the court that he had a cheque of seven million, seven hundred thousand Leones (Le 7, 700,000) to pay to the Trust as against Monday, 30th March 2020.
However, the Prosecutor, Lawyer Sesay, told the court that the amount the defendant was to pay is just half, compared to what he owed the Trust.
Lawyer Sesay continued that NASSIT conducted an inspection at the establishment on the 29th January 2020, and found out that the defendant’s institution failed to comply with the Trust’s requirements.
He furthered that as a result of non-compliance towards payment, he sent a demand notice with penalties levied against the establishment for non-payment and failing to fulfill its obligation.
Lawyer Sesay disclosed that the defendant owed the Trust or NASSIT fifteen million, two hundred sixty nine thousand leones thirty two cents (Le15,269,000.32).
After the submission of the prosecutor, the presiding Magistrate, Hannah Bonnie, gave an order to the defendant to make instant payment of the said sum or face one year imprisonment.