Journalist in Court Over 70 Million Fraud

Magistrate Santigie Bangura of Court number 3 has today granted bail in the dum of 150million (old Leones ) to Cyril Harold Smith a Journalist who is faced with an allegation of obtaining money by false pretenses contrary to Section 32 (1) of the Larceny Act 1916.

The court said the accused between 2020/21 defrauded one Estherlyn in Freetown over 70 million Leones plus household properties, Kekeh, and broke into the complaint cupboard and stole therein 3 hundred US dollars.

Cyril whose lawyer pleaded for bail said his client was a poor father with two little kids while his wife is presently sick in a critical condition.

His lawyer, Sigismond Conteh, while applying for bail further begged the court to save the accused from being sent to jail. He noted that he would not be a flight risk.

When asked who will bail him or where he gets his leaving, Cyril couldn’t produce an identification card but said he left it at his office where he does an online talk show program but says his boss, Edmondson Sonny Cole, will help save his neck to meet the bail conditions of the court.

He said he couldn’t reach his Boss on phone but hoped that by the time the magistrate grants him bail Edmondson will show up.
Earlier, the prosecuting lawyer, Thullah argued that the accused is in the habit of dodging the court’s summons; hence doesn’t trust him and should not be granted bail.
He said the crimes committed by Smith are very grave and that precedents should be set for such bad people in society.

In earlier arguments, Cyril had argued that he wasn’t served the court summons in person, but rather via WhatsApp; the Clerk who testified produced evidence that Mr. Smith’s eldest Son received the summon on behalf of his father who was not around at the time at their upper brook street residence (common ground) last Tuesday.

He said he summoned Smith’s phone numbers as a backup.
Most of the criminal charges brought against Cyril have to do with him having defrauded the complainant by collecting millions of Leones with the pretext of “obtaining money by pretenses.”

The prosecution said the accused collected huge sums to the tune of millions and has been dodging prosecution for a year now.
It also alleged that Smith walked into the Complainant’s house and carted away properties including laptops, etc.

Another is that he collected monies for the rental of an office space knowing the same to be false.

In his continuing plea, his lawyer begged the magistrate profusely not to send him to spend the nights in jail noting that he has reliable sureties and will not tamper with any of the prosecutor’s witnesses as the case progresses.

The prosecutors headed by Bah and associates, vehemently opposed bail noting that Smith is unreliable and not trustworthy.

They argued that the monies plus properties that Smith allegedly defrauded and stole from the complainant’s house are huge running into over a hundred million old Leones.

- Advertisement -

However, Smith was later escorted by Police officers within the courtroom detention until a possible fulfillment of his bail conditions.
The case comes up again on 29 March 2023