By Musa Paul Feika
Police prosecution witness, Alhaji Sesay, who is also a deputy cashier, working at Pee Cee and Sons Company Limited, has testified before Magistrate Alhaji Suliaman Koroma, of the Ross Road Magistrate Court No. 1, in the ongoing fraudulent conversion matter involving Ramatu Denkeh, who allegedly fraudulently converted certain properties to her own use, which are valued at one hundred and twenty one million Leones (Le121,000,000). The properties belong to Pee Cee and Sons.
The witness said he recognized the accused, Ramatu Denkeh, and could also recall diverse dates between 11th February 2020 and 13th February 2020. He said, on that fateful day, himself and his boss man went to the accused`s shop at Portee in Freetown.
The witness noted that, upon their arrival at the accused`s shop, his boss had a discussion with the accused, adding that, at the end of the discussion, the accused ordered them to supply her with the following goods, including chicken backs, legs, wings, feet, cartons of eggs and other valuable properties, which they did.
Mr. Sesay told the court that, after few weeks, himself and his boss from Pee Cee and Sons went to the accused`s shop at Portee in Freetown to collect their money.
He said, upon their arrival at the accused`s shop, he said Ramatu Denkeh started screaming “My son have run away with my money.”
The witness said when his boss asked the accused what the matter was, she told his boss that his son, Amidu, had ran away with her money. The witness further testified that the accused pleaded with them to give her some time that she would pay the said sum.
The witness concluded his testimony noting that up till now the accused has not paid a single cent to them.
The defence counsel, K.R. Sawanneh, defending the accused, told the court that his client and the complainant went into negotiation; and that even though his client has started paying the money, but yet the prosecution is still proceeding with the matter. He told the Bench that the prosecutor has not been treating his client fairly.
In response, the Police Prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police ASP, Osman Mahmoud Bangura, said he was not aware of any negotiation between the accused and the complainant. He furthered that if there was a negotiation between the complainant and the accused, the complainant should have informed him long ago.
The presiding Magistrate, in his response, told defence that if there was any negotiation between his client and the complainant, he has not yet brought the matter before the court.
In his cross examination, Mr. Sawanneh put it to the witness, as to whether he was aware of the procedure in supplying goods to customers. The witness, in his reply, said his duty and responsibility was only to collect money.
He furthered put it to him that, inasmuch as his duty and responsibility was to only collect money, he could not tell the court whether the goods in question were supplied or not. In his reply, the witness said that, whenever his boss supplied goods to customers, he normally informed him.
Lawyer Sawanneh finally put it to the witness that, all what he told the court was what exactly his boss had narrated to him after the whole incident. The witness responded in the affirmative. There he ended his cross examination.
The police charge sheet adduces that Ramatu Denkeh, on diverse dates between the 11th February 2020 and 13th February 2020, fraudulently converted several chicken cartons and eggs cartons, valued at one hundred and twenty one million Leones (Le121, 000,000), which are properties belonging to Pee Cee and Sons.
Bail of the accused remains in force and the matter was adjourned to 18th September, 2020.