By Hawanatu Thoronka
37-year-old John Binneh Conteh made another appearance before Magistrate Santigie Bangura of the Pademba Road Court No.2 for alleged conspiracy to defraud contrary to law, causing Reverend Mark Alusine Sinneh to pay the sum of Seven Thousand United States Dollars ($7,000) for a car.
The particulars of offences state that the accused on a date unknown in October, 2024, at Pamalap in the Kambia Judicial District, Northern Sierra Leone, with intent to defraud, conspired together with other persons unknown to commit a crime to wit causing money to be paid to another person by means to defraud contrary to Section 32(2) of Larceny Act 1916.
The Particulars of offences indicate that John Binneh Conteh On 3rd October 2024 in Pamalap in the Kambia Judicial District in the Northern Province of the Republic of Sierra Leone Fraudulently caused Mark Alusine Kamara to pay the sum of Seven Thousand United States dollars ($7,000), equivalent to the total sum of One Hundred and Seventy Thousand Eight Hundred Leones (NLe 1708,00) to one Francis Koroma who falsely pretended to have one sprinter vehicle for sale knowing same to be false.
The complainant, Reverend Mark Alusine Sinneh from No.2 Med_U Drive, Back of SOS Makama, Makeni, said he works as a missionary and confirmed that he knew the accused person.
He said on September, 2024, after the end of a conference they had, he told the accused person that he wanted to buy a car.
He said the accused told him that he had a friend who lives in Germany and assured him that he will connect both of them.
The complainant narrated that on October 2nd, 2024, he was in Conakry to buy his car when he received information that the accused visited his house asking after him.
He said he instantly received a call from him, enquiring about his location and that he replied that he was in Conakry to buy his car.
He said as time went by he received several calls from the accused person who informed him that he had sent different photos of cars to his phone.
He said he then checked his phone and saw the exact description he wanted, and that he pleaded to him to reduce the price to $6,000.
He said he later received another call from the accused person, asking whether he was okay with the car and that he replied in the affirmative.
He said the accused asked him to meet with one Francis Koroma and make payment for the car, adding that Koroma would also help him to secure license for it.
He said they both went to the licenses office and initially called the man in Germany and informed him that they had paid $7,000 for the car.
He said when they got to the license office the accused asked him to wait outside for him, but that he discovered that the accused had stayed too long.
He said he decided to go back to a nearby restaurant to have some food, adding that while eating, he saw two men barged into the restaurant asking after Francis.
He said the two men informed him that the car Francis sold to him didn’t belong to him and that they immediately rushed to the license office, but he was not there.
This Matter was adjourned to the 20th January 2024 for further proceedings.
