Sudanese National Sentenced to 38 Months for US$14,000 Fraud in Kenema
Aaron Parker A Magistrate Court in Kenema has sentenced a Sudanese national to more than three years in prison after he admitted to misappropriating funds entrusted to him for business purposes.
Mohamed Harovna Adam was convicted of fraudulent conversion and sentenced to 38 months’ imprisonment by Magistrate Court No.1, presided over by His Worship Magistrate Hadiru Daboh, on January 27, 2025.
According to evidence presented before the court, the convict unlawfully converted US$14,135 belonging to Khamis Abdalla Adam, who had entrusted him with the money to conduct a business transaction. The offence was committed in Kenema City over a period spanning 2024 to February 6, 2025.
Adam was charged under Section 20(1)(iv)(a) of the Larceny Act of 1916. When the charge was read and clearly explained to him in open court by Court Clerk Ibrahim Tomboyeke, the accused entered an unqualified guilty plea.
In handing down sentence, Magistrate Daboh ordered that Adam serve his term at the Sierra Leone Correctional Centre in Kenema. However, the court provided an alternative to imprisonment, ruling that the convict could avoid custodial punishment if he fully restitutes the stolen amount to the complainant.
The complainant was represented by Joseph Bandabla Dauda (JBD Esq.), with support from Lawyer Dauda Chorane Gbow, while the accused appeared in court without legal representation.
Following the ruling, Mohamed Harovna Adam was immediately remanded at the Kenema Correctional Centre to commence his sentence, pending any restitution order.