By Musa Paul Feika
Two accused, Ibrahim Conteh and Dauda Sesay, who work in the branch store of Pee Cee and Sons Limited on Bai Bureh in Freetown, have made their first appearance before Magistrate Alhaji Sulaiman Koroma of Ross Road Court No. 1 in Freetown for fraudulently converting 72 Mayonnaises bottles into their own use, which are valued at (Le 2,100,000), properties of the Indian company.
The stolen goods were entrusted to them by the Stores Manager, Pushander Sigh at the Bail Bureh branch store for the purpose of delivering at Pee Cee & Sons Lumley branch in west end Freetown.
The police prosecution witness, Pushander Sigh in his testimony told the court that he recognized the accused as workers at Pee Cee& Sons, Bai Bureh Road branch in Freetown, and that he would recall Friday 17th January, this year.
According to the witness, on that day, he received a telephone call from the Managing Director of Pee Cee & Sons Lumley branch, Ashiek instructing him to supply him branch with certain goods that included 80 bags of rice, 20 Mayonnaises cartons and other valuable items.
The witness said based upon the instruction, he told the workers to load the aforesaid goods in a vehicle with registration number AKK 214 and asked the accused to board the vehicle and deliver the items to the Pee Cee & Sons Lumley branch.
He said after a few hours, he received a call from the Managing Director, Ashiek who he said informed him that there was a shortage of about 72 Mayonnaises bottles.
The witness furthered that the Managing Director at the Lumley branch then took photographs of the open cartons in the vehicle and forwarded them to him through his IPhone and the photographs were tendered in court to form part of the court records.
The witness said when he attempted to contact the first accused through his telephone, he was unable tom reach him, adding that since then the accused disappeared and their whereabouts were not known.
The witness said as a result, he reported the matter at the Ross Road Police Division and the accused were apprehended and charged to court.
The police charge sheet indicated that the accused on Friday 17th January, 2020 at Bai Bureh Road in Freetown fraudulently converted 72 Mayonnaises bottles to their own use, which were valued at Le 2,100,000, properties of Pee Cee& Sons Limited.
The accused were denied bail and remanded at Pademba Road Male Correctional Centre, while the matter come s up again on 3rd August, 2020.