By Janet A. Sesay
Sergeant 8576 Issa Kamara on Monday, 15th September 2025 tendered eight fake passports before Magistrate John Manso Fornah of Magistrate Court No. 2 as evidence against two accused persons, Musa Kamara and Cecilia Briggs, alleged to have obtained huge sums of money to secure Canadian visas from different people knowing same to be false.
Musa Seaport Kamara and Cecilia Briggs are arraigned before Magistrate John Manso Fornah’s Court on four count of charges ranging from conspiracy to defraud contrary to law, obtaining money by false pretence contrary to Section 32 (1) of the Larceny Act 1961 and possession of the Passport of another for an unlawful purpose contrary to Section 16 (1) of the Anti-Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Act 2022, Act No.12. 2022.
The charge sheet indicates that both defendants, between 1st and 30th November, 2024, at Goderich, in Freetown, conspired together to defraud Makalay Mansaray, the sum of One Hundred and Twelve Thousand, Eight Hundred New Leones with the pretext of securing Canadian Visas for her, Joseph Kambiama and Elizabeth Kambiama knowing same to be false.
The charge sheet further indicated that the First Defendant, Musa Seaport Kamara between the 1st and 31st of January, 2025, in the Republic of Ghana being a person purporting to act as recruiter, possessed different Sierra Leonean passports, a document belonging to another person, for an unlawful purpose, thereby restricting the victim’s movement and facilitate trafficking.
In his testimony, Sergeant 8576 Issa Kamara attached to the Exhibit Office at the Criminal Investigation Departments Headquarters on Pademba Road in Freetown deed recognized both defendants.
He said his duties include keeping all exhibits brought to the station, registering them and tendering them in court when needed.
He recall on the 19th May 2025, adding that he was on duty when DPC 14944 Amara T.T handed over to him eight (8) Republic of Sierra Leone passports bearing the names: Mohamed Mustapha Conteh, Ahmed Mustapha Conteh, Theresa Haja Kamara, Kemoh Jalloh, Mohamed John Conteh, Alusine Kamara, Mohamed Koroma and Alpha K. Bangura
Sergeant Kamara said when he received the passports, he registered them in the CID register against serial number 049/2025 and that since then, the items have been in the custody of the police.
The passports were produced and tendered in court to form part of the court’s records.
The defendants were unrepresented in court and so they cross-examined the witness by themselves.
They were remanded in custody until 24th September, 2025 for continuation.