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A mother and her son have been remanded at the Male and Female Correctional Centres in Freetown after being arraigned in connection with a sophisticated travel scam that reportedly defrauded a family of over $32,000.
The accused 27-year-old businessman Musa Seaport Kamara and his mother, Serro Sesay, a businesswoman appeared before Magistrate John Manso Fornah at the Pademba Road Court No. 2 on charges of conspiracy to defraud, obtaining money by false pretenses, and unlawful possession of passports.
According to prosecutors, in January 2025, while in Ghana, the accused were found in possession of multiple Sierra Leonean passports belonging to other individuals an act suspected to be part of a broader human trafficking network that restricted victims’ freedom of movement.
Police allege the scam took place between November 1 and 30, 2024, in the Tombo community, Western Rural Area. The duo, along with others still at large, allegedly swindled one Joseph Dawson Kamara out of $118,000 under the pretext of securing Brazilian visas for four individuals: David Alhaji Mansaray, Assiatu Dawson Kamara, Mildred Dawson Kamara, and Aminata Sesay.
In court, both accused declined to enter a plea.
The first prosecution witness, Joseph Dawson Kamara, identified both accused. He told the court he first met Musa Kamara through a travel arrangement to send his children to the United States. A formal agreement was signed with Serro Sesay, which he presented as evidence.
He said the accused assured him the visa process was legitimate. He also mentioned Serro’s son, Gibrilla Sesay, was present during the signing. Kamara testified that he handed over passports to a woman named Zainab Bangura, on Musa’s instruction. Musa, reportedly in Brazil at the time, later confirmed receiving the passports and promised to process Brazilian visas.
Kamara further stated that David Mansaray, husband of Aminata, traveled to Ghana on behalf of the group, where Musa allegedly collected an additional $4,000 for visa facilitation. Kamara also gave another $8,000 to Gibrilla Sesay to expedite the process. Receipts and photographs of the transactions were submitted in court.
However, the visas turned out to be fake. The victims, including Kamara’s children, were detained in Ghana. Due to Aminata’s pregnancy, they were released on the condition that they leave the country within 24 hours. Kamara said he had to raise $500 to facilitate their return to Sierra Leone.
He later discovered Musa Kamara’s identity through his Facebook profile and reported the matter to INTERPOL. The accused was subsequently arrested and extradited to Freetown. Kamara concluded that he paid a total of $32,000 to the accused and received nothing in return. His statement was officially recorded at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters on Pademba Road.
Defense counsel Zachariah Azibo Kanu cross-examined the witness.
Magistrate Fornah denied bail, citing the severity of the allegations and the flight risk posed by the accused. The matter was adjourned to July 16, 2025.
