By Elizabeth Kamara
Amelia Williams has been remanded at the Female Correctional Centre by Magistrate Mark Ngegba of the Pademba Road Court No.1 in Freetown for alleged defraud.
The accused person is standing trial on two count charges of conspiracy to defraud contrary to law, obtaining money by false pretenses ,contrary to Section 32(1) of the Larceny Act 1916.
It was alleged that the accused person between the 1st December,2022, and the 31st January 2023, at No.13 Gloucester Street in Freetown, with intent to defraud, conspired together with other persons unknown to defraud Jestina Kutubu the sum of forty-one million five hundred thousand old Leones (le41,500,000), equivalent to the sum of forty one thousand five hundred New Leones (Nle41,500,00), by falsely pretending that she will facilitate a trip for her relatives Alice Wango Kutubu, Jestina Bangura, Elizabeth Kamara and Alpha Thaimu Koroma to Australia for job opportunity.
It was further alleged that the accused person conspired together with other persons unknown to defraud Jestina Kutubu the sum of sixty million old Leones (le60, 000,000), equivalent to the sum of sixty thousand New Leones (Nle60, 000, 00) by falsely pretending that she will facilitate a trip for her six (6) relatives, Ramatu Turay, Amara Thonkara, Mohamed Idrissa Bangura, Khadija Binta Kamara, yaelie sailed Sesay and Mohamed Lansana to Australia for job opportunity.
Police prosecutor, Sellu Tap and the factual witness Hawa Koroma recognised the accused person in the dock and the complainant,Jestina kutubu.
She said on the 1st December 2022, she was at her shop when the accused and the complainant,Jestina Kutubu met her.
She narrated that the accused told her that she had a sure program which involved ten million Leones for each person to travel abroad.
She also told the court that the said complainant gave the accused forty million old Leones(le40,000,000) in her presence and told them that in two weeks’ time their documents will be available for them to travel to Australia.
She further said that after two weeks the accused called them to meet at Victoria Park, saying that she had limited space for six people, which she will like to fill before they will leave to Australia.
She also said that the accused asked for another sixty million old Leones (le60,000,000),which the complainant asked her children to bring and gave to her.
She said after she had collected the money she asked for another one week for them to prepare their luggage and come to her house for training.
She said during that conversation the accused told them to take a video of her because the program was legal and genuine and that after that meeting they went to her house and stayed there for two weeks with no information of traveling.
She said when they noticed that the program was fraud they later made statement to the police at Hasting.
The prosecutor, Sellu Tap asked for an adjourned date for their next witness to testify.
The matter was adjourned to the 21 November 2023 for further hearing
