Mohamed Bah, an auxiliary staff at the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Country and Planning, made another appearance before Magistrate John Manso Fornah of Pademba Road Court No.2 in Freetown on five count charges to wit conspiracy to commit a felony contrary to law, forgery, altering forged survey plan, trespass and obtaining money by false pretenses contrary to section 32 (1) of the Larceny Act of 1916.

According to the particulars of offence, on 13th February, 2025 at the Ministry of Lands Housing and Country Planning Youyi Building in the western area of Freetown, conspired together with other persons unknown to commit a felony to wit forgery

Count two further stated that on the same date and place, the accused person with intent to defraud, forged a survey site plan document purporting it to be authentic knowing same to be fake.

Count three further stated that on the same date and place, the accused altered a survey site plan, forged document purporting it to be a true and accurate with LS number 313/25 for 1.1090 acre of private land at Kotopema Macdonald off peninsular Road, Freetown, property of Mr. Sheku Jawara and Mrs. Isata Selvine Jawara knowing it to be forged and with intent to defraud.

Count four further revealed that on 3rd January, 2025 at Kotopema, Macdonald off Peninsular Road in the western area of Freetown, unlawfully entered into state land situate at Kotopema, Macdonald in Freetown having warned not to do so.

Count five stated that on 1st to 6th January, 2025 at Bar Junction Goderich, in the western area of Freetown, obtained the sum of seventeen thousand leones (17,000) from Sheku Jawara by falsely pretending that he will survey a piece of land at Kotopema Macdonald and prepare a true and accurate survey plan in the name of Mr. Sheku Jawara and Mrs. Isata Selvine Jawara knowing same to be false.

Prosecution witness number one Abraham Cooper, a civil servant at the Deputy Director of Surveys and Lands attached to the Ministry of Lands recognized the accused person as one of their support staff. He recalled on 13th February, 2025 that something transpired between the accused and the complainant. He added that on the above date, someone went to their office with a survey plan and prior to that date, the said individual attempted to present the survey plan for building permit and they have a system of cross checking documents survey plan for them to issue building permit. He said when the said individual went with the document, he decided to cross check with their records and he came to realise that it was a falsified survey plan because the LS number which was on it was already assigned to another document bearing the name of Derick A. Fullah at Peninsular Road, York and the acreage is 0.2034 and the licence survey was signed by Hewith Jones. He said discovered that the document was falsified and did not match their records and immediately notified the Anti-land Grabbing Unit at the OSD headquarters in Freetown and the alleged owner of the land gave information about the accused as the person who prepared the said document for him and signed same. The witness said he can recognized the said document if seen and he wanted the court to see it the document was marked as exhibit Z. The LS number which is on the said document is not supposed to be there and the original survey plan that has the said LS number is not with him. The witness said if given time he will produce it in court. As that juncture, the prosecutor sought for a short adjournment date for the witness to come with the original document in question.

Counsel representing the accused Turay Esq. applied for bail for and on behalf of the accused person.

Meanwhile, Magistrate Fornah refused bail based due to the seriousness of the offence and adjourned the matter to 19th June, 2025.