By Mamajah Jalloh
Lamin Tarawally, a senior accountant at Hastings Toll Gate, was again arraigned before Magistrate Sahr Kekura of Pademba Road Court No.1 Monday, 3rd February, 2025, for allegedly stealing over three hundred thousand new Leones at the Hastings Toll Gates and also allegedly forging standard Chartered Bank deposit slips on behalf of the Toll Gate company.
The accused was arraigned before the court on six count charges ranging from Conspiracy to defraud, contrary to law; uttering forgery document, contrary to section 6(1)(2) of Forgery Act of 1913 and Larceny by Servant, contrary to Section 17(1)(a) of the larceny Act 1916.
The charge sheet indicated that the accused on a dates between Friday 1st and Monday 4th November 2024, at Hasting Toll Gate Freetown, conspired with other persons to defraud the West Africa Operation and Management Company (WAOMC) by forging and altering one Standard Chartered Bank Cash Deposit Slip dated 2nd November 2024, with a face value of One Hundred and Forty Two Thousand, Seven Hundred and Eighty Nine new Leones, purporting that it was prepared and signed by Ibrahim K. Gbundema, his junior accountant of the said company.
It further states that the accused also forged another bank deposit slip amounting Two Hundred and Eighty Three Thousand, One Hundred new Leones dated 4th November 2024, purporting that it was prepared and signed by same Alhaji S. Mansaray, his Junior Accountant at the West Africa Operations and Management Company (WAOMC).
The charge sheet furthered that the accused, also being a Senior Accountant of (WAOMC), stole the sum of Three Hundred and sixty-Four Thousand, four Hundred and four new Leones, property of (WAOMC).
The State Prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police Ibrahim Mansaray, led in prosecution witness Alhaji Sheku Mansaray, who is a junior accountant to the accused at the West Africa Operation and Management Company at Hastings Toll Gate Station One.
The witness said his responsibility at the said company is to receive money from toll gate collectors per shift and compare the fiscal cash to the soft Ware in the machine, adding that after comparing the system, he writes it down on a document named “Demand Notes.”
Sheku maintained that he usually calculates the fiscal Cash to know if it is equal to what is in the system by using the Bill note counting machine and calculator.
He revealed that after checking the amount, he entered it on the same Demand Note; and he and the Toll Gate collectors signed a slip and after the signature and confirmation, the total cash would be placed in small sheets and the same amount would be sent to the Hastings toll gate finance department group, taking the fiscal Cash to a specific safe provided by the company to keep the monies; and he would write a bank slip for the depositing of the total income for the day by the accused.
Alhaji went on to state that after making the slip he snapped it and sent it to the company’s Whatsapp group, adding that such a reason is for the verification of the head of finance, who is the accused, to also verify the fiscal cash and bank slip, and after that he offed duty.
He noted that before leaving, he always hand over the bank slip and the cash in the hands of the accused, adding that the purpose of giving the accused the said cash is because it is his responsibility to hand over the cash to the bank.
Mansaray echoed that the said money was usually given to the accused on behalf of the company.
The witness recalled on Friday 1st and Monday 24 November 2024, adding that he was on duty in the afternoon when he prepared a “Demand Note” from the monies collected from the Toll Gates booths collectors.
He pointed out that after collecting the said money, he and the collectors verify the amount on the software machine, which is counted from the machine and is written down on the demand Note, which was signed by both parties, noting that a document was shown to the witness which he identified as “The demand Note.”
At that juncture, the prosecution sought for an adjournment for the demand Note to be made available before the court.
Lead defense counsel Chernor Kamara, made an application for bail on behalf of the accused.
The prosecutor Ibrahim Mansaray vehemently objected to bail on the grounds that the accused would interfere with prosecution witness.
Meanwhile, Magistrate Kekura refused bail on the grounds that the witness is subordinate to the accused and would likely interfere with him and the other witnesses, and was sent to remain in custody.
The case has been adjourned to the 6th of February, 2025 for the continuation of the trial.
