Businessman Musa Seaport Kamara, 27, and a student Cecilia Briggs, 24 were again arraigned before Magistrate John Manso Fornah of Pademba Road Court No.2 on Monday, 9th June, 2025, on five count charges.

They were arraigned for conspiracy to defraud contrary to law, ranging from obtaining money by false pretences, contrary to section 32 (1) of the Larceny Act 1961 and possession of a passport of another for unlawful purpose contrary to section 16 (1) of the Anti- Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Act 2022, Act No.12, 2022.

According to the police charge sheet, both accused between 1st and 30th November, 2024, at Goderich, in the western area of the Republic of Sierra Leone, conspired together with other persons unknown to defraud Makalay Mansaray the sum of nineteen thousand United States dollars ($19,000), equivalent to four hundred and fifty six thousand leones (Le456,000).

Count two revealed that both of them on the same date and place, with intent to defraud obtained the sum of eight thousand United States dollars ($8,000), equivalent to nineteen thousand two hundred leones (Le 19,000) from Makalay Mansaray by falsely pretending that they would secure Canadian Visas for both Joseph Kambiama and Elizabeth Kambiama knowing same to be false.

Count three further stated that the accused on 24th December, 2024, at Slater Terrace, Freetown, in the western area of the Republic of Sierra Leone, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of ten thousand United States dollars ($10,000) equivalent to two hundred and forty thousand leones (Le 240,000) from Makalay Mansaray by falsely pretending that they would secure Canadian visas for both Joseph Kambiama and Elizabeth Kambiama knowing same to be false.

Count four furthered that both accused, between 24th and 30th of November, 2024, at Goderich, in the western area of the Republic of Sierra Leone, with intend to defraud obtained the sum of one thousand United States dollars ($1,000) equivalent to twenty four thousand leones ( Le24,000) from Makalay Mansaray by falsely pretending that they would secure Canadian visas for both Joseph Kambiama and Elizabeth Kambiama knowing same to be false.

Count five indicated that Musa Seaport Kamara between the 1st and 31st January, 2025, in the Republic of Chana being a person purporting to act as a recruiter, did knowingly possess different Sierra Leonean passport books, a document belonging to another person, for an unlawful purpose, to wit to restrict the victim’s movement and facilitate trafficking.

When the charges were read and explained to both accused, no plea was taken.

The prosecutor Assistant Superintendent of Police Dallia Wellington led prosecution witness number one Makalay Mansaray who is a midwife recognized both accused and recalled between 1st and 31st November, 2024, something happened between herself and both accused.

Makalay revealed that she came to known them through a family friend Nongo Tonkara who travelled to America and told her that there are lots of programmes available, assuring her that she had connection to enable people to travel to America upon which she facilitated the travelling of her daughter without sufficient money.

She told the court that Nongo told her she would tell her parents for necessary arrangements and enquiries to be made and the people involved in the programme were two, the husband who is in Brazil and the wife who resides in Freetown to make arrangement with them.

Makalay went on to say that Nongo told her that the person responsible for the facilitation had travel to Switzerland and that they should wait, but she received a call from the first accused that he got her number from Nongo that he was the person responsible to facilitate the travel.

She noted that the 1st accused told her that the amount for the travel was 12,000 dollars, but the parties were willing to pay 10,000 dollars each and the 1st accused told her to pay 4,000 dollars for each to his wife, adding that she paid the sum of 8,000 to her for both through pictorial video evidence and was photographed with her phone.

Makalay added that the remaining sum of 10,000 dollars was paid in the presence of Elizabeth Simah Bangura Foday, Cecilia the 2nd accused and Hajaratu Bangura and herself as all parties present signed the undertaking. The said undertaking was produced for identification and marked as exhibit X. The said photograph was produced for identification and marked as exhibit W.

The defense counsel Z.A Kanu for the 1st accused and I. Kargbo for the 2nd accused made an objection that the application made by the prosecution should be dismissed

Meanwhile, Magistrate Fornah refused the objection made by the defense counsel and sent the accused persons on remand to the male correctional center in Freetown

The case has been adjourned to 16th June, 2025 for further proceedings.