Alicious Borbor Barbar, a fraudster has been committed to the High Court by Magistrate Mark Ngegba of the Pademba Road Court No.1 in Freetown for proper trial.The accused was alleged of forging one certificate of native marriage with general receipt number 61271/09 purported been prepared by Bo District Council.
The accused was arraigned before the court on eighty-four count charges ranging from conspiracy, forgery, uttering forged document, making false statement and furnishing false statements, and causing money to be paid by false pretences which are all contrary to the laws of Sierra Leone.
The charge sheet indicated that the accused on a date unknown between 1 June 2019 and 23 February 2021 at Bo District conspired together with other person unknown to defraud the National Social Security and Insurance Trust and obtained survivor benefits by forging certificate of native marriage.
The charge sheet further that the accused with intent to defraud forged one certificate of native marriage with receipt number 61272109 purported that it was prepared and signed by Bo District Council.
The charge sheet further that the accused with intent to defraud make false statement that Amie Mary Tua is her wife with the pretext of claiming survivor benefits knowing to be false.
The accused also fraudulently caused NASSIT to pay Fifty Thousand Six Hundred and Fifty-Four Leones to him purported to be the legal wedded husband of late Amie Mary Tua knowing to be false.
Led in evidence by Inspector Kadie Taylor, the witness Mabinty Kargbo, a Senior Staff at NASSIT, attached to the Customer Service Department, said her duty is to receive complains and queries from customers.
She recognized the accused in the dock and recalled between 15 July 2019 to 23 February 2021.
She said on those dates, she was at the Regional Office at Wallace Johnson Street in Freetown, when one of the Customer Service Officers, Aminata Denkeh informed her that a customer wants to speak with her and it was the accused who entered the office.
She continued that she interviewed the accused and he told her that his name is Alicious and further informed her that he is a survivor and his pension has been stopped.
The witness said she asked him if the deceased is truly his wife and he smiled and said yes but later stated that the deceased was his mother and her name was Amie Adetou.
The witness furthered that when she looked at the document, she found out that the accused was over aged and the deceased husband has also died and he wanted to take advantage of the situation by collecting the pension.
She said she applied at the Registry Office for Marriage Certificate of the deceased and she understand that the document produce by the accused was forged.
The witness said she immediately reported the case to his boss Mohamed Sal.
It was disclosed in court that the witness told the court that was later called to make statement at the Criminal Investigations Department at Pademba Road.
At the end of his examination in chief, the witness was cross examined by defence Counsel John James Ghandi Williams.
After the cross examination, the prosecutor declared it’s case close.
Magistrate Ngegba wasted no time and committed the matter to High Court for trial.
