Sierra Leone News: Ghanaian National Arraigned for Allegedly Defrauding Liberian Ambassador

By Alimatu Jalloh

A Ghanaian national Emmanuel Kwame Kondo was on Monday arraigned before Magistrate Hannah Bonnie of Court №1 for allegedly defrauding the Liberian Ambassador to Sierra Leone.

The accused was arraigned on two counts of conspiracy to defraud and obtaining money by false pretense.

It is alleged that the accused on Friday February 15,2019, at №2 Spur Road in Freetown, conspired with other persons unknown to defraud by means of presenting a 4Runner Jeep to the Liberian Ambassador Jattu Musu Ruhle for sale. On count two, it was alleged that on the same date in Freetown and with intent to defraud, obtained from the Liberian Ambassador the sum of US$7,500 by falsely pretending that he has a 4Runner jeep for sale knowing it to be false.

Led in evidence by Inspector D.A Taylor, the prosecution witness Momo Brima, protocol officer at the Liberia Embassy in Sierra Leone, recalled Friday February 15, 2019, when the ambassador called him and requested him to accompany the accused to EcoBank, which he did.

He said at their arrival in the bank, the accused was given money in dollars, adding that after the process they both went back to the ambassador again where the accused person told them that “the vehicle in question has documentation problems but he will go and solve it, and come back with both the vehicle and the complete documents the following day”.

The witness said since the accused left the office on that day, he did not returned back with the vehicle and the documents, and a report was made to the police.

“We were later informed that the accused was arrested and taken to the Criminal Investigation Department headquarters where they made statements.

At this juncture, the presiding Magistrate adjourned the matter to September 3, 2019, and ordered that accused Emmanuel Kwame Kondo be remanded at the Pademba Road Male Correctional Centre, after lawyer for the accused deferred cross-examination.