By Henry Kargbo
Magistrate Mark Ngegba of Court No.1 last Friday 30 September 2022, sent Alhaji Sorie Conteh, a business man, back to the Male Correctional Centre for allegedly converting into his own use and benefit different property given to him for sale by Rugiatu Lahai, a nurse based in the United States of America.
The accused was arraigned before the court on five counts of fraudulent conversion contrary to section 20 (1) (a) of the Larceny Act of 1916. The accused turned into his use property valued One Million, Two Hundred and Sixty-Two Thousand, Two Hundred and Ten Leones (Le1, 262,210).
According to his charge sheet, the accused, Conteh, between May 2019 and December 2020 in Bo converted twenty-nine (29) bleach wash valued at Five Hundred and Eighty Thousand Leones (Le580,000), twenty-one (21) big size matrasses valued at Thirty-One Thousand, Five Hundred Leones (31,500), five big size carpet valued at Two Thousand Five Hundred Leones (2,500) and other items totalling One Million, Two Hundred and Sixty-Two Thousand, Two Hundred and Ten Leones being properties of the complainant Rugiatu Lahai.
Led in evidence by Assistant Superintendent of Police, Davis Cole, the witness recognized the accused in the dock and recalled sometimes in May 2019 to December, 2020.
She said that on those days, she used to ship her container through her power of Attorney Daboh.
She informed the court that during the course of shipping her goods, the accused called her and pleaded with her for help and she promised helping him.
Madam Rugiatu furthered that in one week’s time her container arrived in Freetown and she called the accused and instructed him to meet Daboh which he did and the accused together with his friend went with Ten Thousand Leone, saying that he wanted to buy goods but she told him to reserve the money and they gave him a business of Twenty Thousand Leones for him to go and sell and bring the money but the accused didn’t give her the money or the goods.
The witness furthered that whenever she shipped container the accused would collect goods on credit basis and all their transactions were documented and prepared by her accountant, adding that the transaction documents were tendered before the court and marked as exhibit A1-7 as part of the prosecution’s case.
She said that since 2019 to 2020 she had not received money for the goods she sent to the accused which prompted her to make a report at the Criminal Investigations Department headquarters in Freetown.
She said she would want the court to see the statements she made to the police so it could be tendered as exhibit B1-19. The accused, who was unrepresented in court, was denied bail and was sent to the Male Correctional Centre.
The matter comes up again on Wednesday 5 October 2022 for further hearing.
