By Mamajah Jalloh
Alhassan Conteh a 25-year-old businessman, made his appearance before Magistrate Santigie Bangura of Pademba Road Court No2. Wednesday, 5th February, 2025, on a count charge of Fraudulent Conversion contrary to Section 20 (1) (4) (B) of the Larceny Act of 1916.
The charge sheet indicated that the accused, sometimes in November 2024 at Goderich Street, Freetown in the Western Area of the Republic of Sierra Leone, fraudulently converted to his own use or benefit One Hundred and Sixty-Seven (167) Bundles of pampers valued at Six Hundred and Five Thousand, Two Hundred and Ten Leones (NLe 105, 210, 00) entrusted to him by Abdul Salam Kamara for the purpose of sale and supply to various customers.
When the charge was read and put to the accused person, no plea was taken.
The accused is represented by A. K. Turay and others.
The prosecution counsel, Deputy Superintendent of Police- Barber W., led in prosecution witness number one, Asiatu Conteh, who knows the accused as her cousin, and recalled that something happened between her and the accused in November 2024.
She revealed that she imported a container of pads and pampers; but before the arrival of the shipment, she had a funeral and it was the accused who cleared the container on her behalf.
Conteh echoed that she noticed pampers were missing after receiving one hundred boxes; and when she cross-checked the invoices, the accused had been sending to her, she tried to compare them with his books.
Asiatu maintained that the total cost of one bundle of pampers is Le 105,210.00, pleading with him to collect the money of those missing pampers if he had sold them, but that the accused insisted that he did not take them.
She noted that the accused used to tell her that the issue would be settled the next day, but never cooperated, a reason he reported the matter to the police.
The defendant applied for bail that the accused is a Sierra Leonean resident within the jurisdiction and has no previous criminal record, adding that he is not a flight risk and has a fixed abode with reliable sureties to bail him.
Magistrate Bangura refused bail because of the weight of the evidence so far, sending him on remand.
The case has been adjourned to the 12th of February 2025, for further proceedings.
