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A 38-year-old man, Andrew Kargbo, has appeared before Magistrate John Manso Fornah at Pademba Road Court No. 2 in Freetown, facing a charge of fraudulent conversion contrary to Section 20(1)(iv)(a) of the Larceny Act of 1916.
Kargbo is accused of fraudulently converting US$9,114 (approximately Le216,000), being part of the proceeds from the sale of a white Toyota 4Runner, 2016 model, valued at US$20,000. The alleged offence reportedly took place between September 1 and September 30, 2024, at Youyi Building in Brookfields, Freetown, where the vehicle had been entrusted to him by businessman and car dealer Alimamy Kamara for sale.
When the charge was read and explained in court, the accused did not enter a plea, as the matter is being treated as a committal proceeding.
Testifying as the first prosecution witness, Alimamy Kamara told the court that he knew the accused and first met him at the Brookfields bus stop, where Kargbo allegedly claimed he had a buyer for the vehicle. Kamara said they agreed on a sale price of US$20,000, after which the accused provided a Sport Edition Jeep and US$5,000, leaving an outstanding balance of US$10,000.
According to the witness, Kargbo later requested additional time to settle the remaining balance but failed to do so, prompting a report to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in December 2024.
Kamara further testified that he later apprehended the accused at Kingharman Road in September 2025 and handed him over to the police. He said family members of the accused subsequently engaged him and paid Le10,000 as part of the settlement, agreeing that the outstanding amount would be paid in monthly instalments of Le4,000. However, payments reportedly stopped after three months.
The court also heard that the accused was later arrested in Makeni and transferred to Freetown, where he made a statement to the police.
During proceedings, defence counsel informed the court that both parties had reached a payment arrangement. The accused paid Le10,000 in court, which was acknowledged by the complainant.
Magistrate Fornah adjourned the matter to August 4, 2026, for further hearing and ordered that the accused be remanded in custody pending the continuation of the case
