One remanded for alleged fraud

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By Jeneba A Conteh

Alicious Borbor Barbar was yesterday sent to the High Court in Freetown for further trial by Magistrate Mark Ngeba of the Pademba Road Court No.1 in Freetown.

 He was alleged to have  forged  native marriage  certificate with receipt number 61271/09, purported to have been prepared by Bo District Council.

Led in evidence by Inspector Kadie Taylor, the witness Mabinty Kargbo, Senior Staff at the National Social Security and Insurance Trust (NASSIT), attached to the Customer Service Department, said her duty is to receive complaint and quarry from customers.

She recognised the accused in the dock and recalled between 15 July 2019 to 23 February 2021.

She said on that day, she was at the regional office at Wallace Johnson Street, when one of the customer service officers, Aminata Denkeh, informed her that a customer wanted to speak with her.

 She said the accused was the said customer, who entered the office.

She continue that she interviewed the accused, who introduced himself as  Alicious.

He said the accused informed her that  he was a survivor and that his  pension had been stopped.

She further testified that she then asked as to whether the deceased was truly his wife and then he smiled and replied in the affirmative.

 She said the accused again the deceased was his mother whose name was Amie Adetou.

The witness further testified  that when she looked at the document, she found out that the accused was over aged and that the deceased husband had also  died.

She said the accused took advantage of the situation and was collecting the pension on behalf of the deceased.

She said she applied at the Registry Office  for  the marriage certificate of the deceased and that she understood that the document produced by the accused was forged.

 She said she then reported the case to his boss, Mohamed Sal and that she was later called to make statement at the Criminal Investigations Department headquarters at Pademba Road.

The witness was cross examined by defense Counsel, John James Ghandi Williams.

After the cross examination, the prosecutor then closed their case.

Magistrate Ngeba therefore committed the matter to the High Court for further trial.

The accused was arraigned before the court on eighty-four count charges ranging from conspiracy, forgery, uttering forged document, making false statement and furnishing false statements, and causing money to be paid by false pretenses, which are all contrary to the laws of Sierra Leone.

The charge sheet indicated that the accused on  a date unknown between 1 June 2019 and 23 February 2021  in Bo District, conspired together with other persons unknown to defraud the National Social Security and Insurance Trust and obtained survivor benefits by forging certificate of native marriage.

The charge sheet further that the accused with intent to defraud, forged one certificate of native marriage with receipt number 61272109 purported that it was prepared and signed by Bo District Council.

The charge sheet further that the accused with intent to defraud made false statement that Amie Mary Turay, was his  wife,  with the pretext of claiming survivor benefits knowing to be false.

The accused also fraudulently caused the National Social Security and Insurance Trust to pay fifty thousand six hundred and fifty -four Leones to him purported to be the legal wedded husband of late Amie Mary Turay, knowing to be false.

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