April 12, 2017 By Memunatu Bangura
Pa Sao Brima Jaward-84 and Jonathan Gbonda- 34 were yesterday sent on remand at the Male Correctional centre on Pademba Road by Magistrate Abou Bakar Binneh-Kamara of court No. 1 for an alleged Diversity fraud.
The two accused persons were arraigned on five counts of conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence contrary to Section 32 (1) of Larceny Act 1961.
According to the particulars of offence, the men, on a date unknown, between 1st April to 30th October, 2016 in Freetown, conspired with other unknown persons to commit a felony.
The prosecution also alleged that on the same date, the accused persons obtained the sum of eleven million four hundred thousand Leones (Le11, 400,000) from one Muskuda Serry Kamara by falsely purporting that they hada Diversity Visa (DV) program to travel to Australia, knowing same to be false.
The particulars of offence continued that the men on the same date obtained the sum of six million Leones (Le6, 000,000) each from Adama Bangura and Mathew Mamie, and one million two hundred thousand Leones (Le1, 200,000) from Fatmata Kargbo by falsely pretending that they had a Diversity Visa (DV) to America.
The magistrate has adjourned the matter to 19th April 2016.
In a related development, Magistrate Binneh-Kamara also sentenced Suliaman Abu Bakarr and Mohamed Sesay to one year imprisonment each or pay a fine of five hundred thousand Leones (Le500, 000) each.
He also ordered them to pay a compensation of three hundred thousand Leones (Le300,000) to the complainant.
While delivering his judgment, Magistrate Binneh-Kamara said the accused persons did not wasted the court’s time in answering to the charges.
The duos were before the court on two counts of Conspiracy and Larceny contrary to Section 2 of Larceny Act 1916.
The particulars of offence stated that the men on Friday, 17th February, 2017 at Wallace Johnson Street, conspired with unknown persons to commit a felony to wit larceny by trick.