On August 27, 2024, in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Engineer Mamoud Kamara, Alie Barrie, and Amara Sesay, three employees of Africell Mobile Company, were arrested and formally charged in connection with the theft of valuable equipment from the Sierra Leone Telecommunications Company.
The total value of the stolen items is estimated to exceed three billion leones. The accused individuals appeared before Magistrate Sahr Kekura at the Pademba Road Magistrate Court No. 1 on Tuesday, August 27, 2024. They faced two charges: conspiracy and larceny.
According to the indictment, the alleged crime occurred on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in Komrabai Village, Lokomasama, Port Loko District. The prosecution alleges that the three men conspired to steal a B15 3606 CDMA 3/2 site, six Aviat Eclipse IGbps microwave links, one DC rectifier cabinet (48v, 200 Amp), twelve deep cycle VLAR Gel batteries, and other assorted equipment, with a combined value of three billion, nine hundred seventy-three million, seventeen thousand leones (Le3,973,170,000).
The stolen items were the property of the Sierra Leone Telecommunications Company.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Dalia Wellington, the prosecutor in the case, informed the court that the complainant was unable to attend the hearing as he is currently out of the country. Consequently, she requested an adjournment to allow time for his return.
In response, defense counsel Maddieu Sesay reiterated a previous application for bail, arguing that the prosecution must treat the case with the seriousness it deserves and move forward with presenting their evidence. He emphasized that bail is intended to ensure the accused persons' attendance at all future court dates and noted that his clients had already spent 27 days in custody, including time at the Criminal Investigation Department headquarters. Sesay assured the court that the accused had reliable sureties willing to stand on their behalf.
However, Magistrate Kekura denied the bail request, citing the severity of the charges. He urged the prosecution to expedite the case, warning that the trial would proceed even if the complainant remains absent at the next hearing.
The case has been adjourned until September 3, 2024.
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