Magistrate Mark Ngegba has committed one Alicious Borbor Barbar to the high court for trial for a matter of forgery and defraud.
According to report, after Alicious Borbor Barbar allegedly forged a native marriage certificate, and defrauded NASSIT over Le50 million Leones, he appeared before Magistrate Ngegba who presides over the Pademba Road Court No.1 in Freetown.
The matter was led in evidence by inspector kadie Taylor, the witness mabinty kargbo staff of the National Social Security and Insurance Trust (NASSIT) attached at the customer service department.
He recalled that between 15th July 2019 to 23rd February 2021, she was at their Wallace Johnson Street office when one of their customer service officers, Aminata Denkeh informed her that a customer wanted to speak with her, adding that it was the accused who showed up.
Kargbo mentioned that she interviewed the accused who told her that his name is Alicious, adding that he is a survivor, but his pension had been stopped.
The witness furthered that when she asked the accused if the deceased were his wife, he smiled at her and responded in the affirmative, but later told her that the deceased was his mother named Amie.
The witness disclosed that when she looked at the document, she found out that the accused was over-age, adding that the deceased’s husband has also died. She told the Court that the accused took advantage of the situation to collect the pension.
Kargbo revealed that when she applied at the Registry Office for the marriage certificate to be verified, it turned out that it had been forged.
Kargbo said she wasted no time but reported the matter to her boss Mohamed Sal.
She was later invited to make a statement at the CID Headquarters on Pademba Road in Freetown.
The witness was cross-examined by defence counsel John James Ghandi Williams.
After the cross-examination, the prosecutor then closed the case.
Magistrate Ngegba then committed the matter to the High Court for further trial. Bail continues for the accused.
The accused was facing eighty counts of charges ranging from conspiracy, forgery, altering forged document, making false statements and furnishing false statements, and causing money to be paid by false pretenses which are all contrary to the laws of Sierra Leone.
The charge sheet indicated that the accused on a date unknown between 1 June 2019 and 23rd February 2021in Bo District, conspired together with other persons unknown to defraud the National Social Security and Insurance Trust and obtained survivor benefits by forging certificate of native marriage.
The charge sheet further indicated that the accused with intent to defraud, forged a certificate of native marriage with receipt number 61272109 purported that it was prepared and signed by Bo District Council.
The charge sheet further indicated that the accused person, with intent to defraud made false statement that Amie Mary Tua is his wife with the pretext of claiming survivor benefits knowing same to be false.
The accused also fraudulently caused the National Social Security and Insurance trust to pay fifty thousand six hundred and fifty -four Leones to him purported to be the legally wedded husband of late Amie Mary Tua knowing same to be false.