Football Coach Sent to Prison Over Alleged Le449,000 Canada Visa Fraud
Deborah Sorie A 50-year-old coach, Alhaji Umaru Jalloh, has been committed to the High Court for trial over allegations of defrauding three individuals through promises of travel arrangements to Canada and the sale of mattresses.
Jalloh is facing four charges, including one count of conspiracy to defraud and three counts of obtaining money by false pretences, contrary to Section 32(1) of the Larceny Act, 1916.
According to the prosecution, the alleged offences occurred between 1 January and 28 August 2026 in the Western Area of Freetown.
The prosecution alleged that Jalloh conspired with other persons unknown to defraud members of the public through false representations.
On the second count, Jalloh allegedly obtained Le115,718 from Issa Conteh after promising to facilitate his travel from Sierra Leone to Canada, knowing that the representation was false.
On the third count, he allegedly obtained US$5,600, equivalent to Le146,400, from Alhaji Abdul Kamara by falsely claiming that he had 76 foam mattresses available for sale.
The fourth count alleged that Jalloh obtained Le14,830 and US$7,774 from Ibrahim Sory Yousif Kamara after promising to facilitate the travel of Kamara’s brother, Abubakarr Kamara, to Canada.
The prosecution stated that the amount involved in the fourth count had a combined equivalent of Le186,815.
The three substantive fraud allegations involve a total stated value of approximately Le449,000.
When the charges were read and explained to Jalloh, no plea was taken because the matter was before the court for committal proceedings.
The prosecution, led by Inspector Kadie Taylor, presented evidence before the court, after which the case file was withdrawn for a ruling.
Jalloh was not legally represented during the proceedings.
Delivering his ruling, Magistrate Jah said he had considered the prosecution’s evidence and the statement made by the accused and was satisfied that sufficient evidence had been presented to warrant a trial before the High Court.
The magistrate subsequently committed the matter to the High Court and ordered that Jalloh be remanded at the Male Correctional Facility in Freetown pending trial.
Jalloh has not been convicted of the offences, and the allegations remain subject to determination by the High Court.