Christian Paul Farma who is a motor mechanic, was on Tuesday 20th May 2025, dragged to court before Magistrate Sahr Kekura of Pademba Road Court ourt No1 by one Emmanuel Mannah for allegedly defrauding him the sum of NLe 81,000 new leones for his vehicle.

The accused made his first appearance in court and was arraigned on one count charge of obtaining money by false pretenses.

According to the particulars of offence, the accused, sometimes between the month of October 2024 and November 2024, at Brookfields, Freetown, he had intent to defraud and so he obtained the sum of eighty one thousand new Leones (NLe 81,000) from the complainant Emmanuel Mannah.

The accused falsely pretended that he was going to repair one Mercedes Benz GL450 with registration number AXI 424 for Emmanuel Mannah, knowing same to be false.

When the charge was read and explained to the accused, no plea was taken.

Police prosecutor ASP Ibrahim Mansaray was one prosecuting the matter.

The Defense team includes: LM Bayoh, M Stevens, M Sesay and AS Sesay.

Lead defense counsel L Bayoh, however, applied for bail on behalf of the accused.

He added that the accused had a registered business within Freetown and so would, not in anyway jumped bail neither would he tamper with the evidence before the court.

The prosecutor ASP Mansaray, in his reply, opposed to the bail supported by an affidavit, thus stating the serious nature of the offence.

The complainant Emmanuel Mannah, in a brief statement, before the court said late 2024 he gave the accused his car to repair. And the accused, he said, having received the car, requested for 45 million  without any negotiation of which he paid the said amount.

He added that the accused could not repair the car because the part is not available in Sierra Leone. And so he requested for another money and he had  to pay another huge sum of money for him to buy the motor part abroad, but he said, since then the accused was unable to repair the car.

When the accused was asked to explain in court he said the car was repaired and being handed over.

But he said after two days he was called by the complainant that the  car broke down at Jui and was asked to go for it.

Magistrate Kekura however granted bail in the sum of 100 thousand new leones with one surety in like sum who was supposed to provide a proof of resident depicting his/her address.

The bail, he said,should be approved by DAR; the matter was adjourned to June 4th 2025.