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A staff member of the Ministry of Lands has been remanded in custody following serious charges of land forgery and fraud.
The accused faces multiple counts, including forgery, conspiracy, and unlawful entry onto state land.
During a court appearance before Magistrate John Manso Fornah at Pademba Road Court No.2 in Freetown, the individual responded to five charges: conspiracy to commit a felony, forgery, uttering forged documents, trespass, and obtaining money by false pretenses.
The allegations state that on February 13, 2025, the accused conspired with unidentified individuals to forge documents at the Ministry of Lands in Freetown.
On the same day, the individual is accused of creating a fraudulent survey site plan with the intent to defraud, falsely claiming it was authentic.
The charges include the presentation of a forged survey plan, identified as LS number 313/25, which purportedly covered 1.1090 acres of land at Kotopema Macdonald, off Peninsular Road, Freetown.
The document was allegedly signed by Hewith Jones and claimed to belong to Sheku Jawara and Mrs. Isata Selvine Jawara, despite the accused’s awareness of its inauthenticity.
Additionally, on January 3, 2025, the accused is alleged to have unlawfully entered state land at Kotopema Macdonald, ignoring previous warnings.
Between January 1 and 6, 2025, at Bar Junction, Grafton, the accused is said to have obtained 17,000 Leones from Mr. Jawara under false pretenses, claiming to survey land and produce an accurate plan.
Abraham Cooper, Deputy Director of Surveys and Lands at the Ministry of Lands, testified that on February 13, 2025, a man presented a survey plan at their office.
Upon examination, Cooper recognized the document as forged, noting that the LS number had already been assigned to another property owned by Derick A. Fullah, which had a different acreage and was signed by Hewith Jones.
Cooper reported that he notified the Anti-Land Grabbing Unit and identified the accused as the individual responsible for preparing and signing the fraudulent document. He confirmed his ability to recognize the forged document in court and pledged to produce the original evidence at a later date.
Defense counsel, Lawyer I. Turay, Esq., requested bail for the accused. However, Magistrate Fornah denied the bail application, citing the severity of the charges. The case has been adjourned to June 19, 2025, as proceedings continue.
