Eustace Harding, the son of Prince Harding, chairman of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) has made his initial appearance in Freetown Magistrate Court No. 1 before Magistrate Sahr Kekura, facing charges of conspiracy to defraud.

The allegations suggest that Harding, in collaboration with unidentified individuals, conspired to obtain over three hundred thousand Leone [SLE] from Tommy Massaquoi, promising repayment but failing to fulfill the agreement.

According to the charge sheet, Harding is arraigned on two counts: conspiracy to defraud contrary to law and obtaining credit under false pretenses. However, the defense counsel, M. Sheriff, objected, contending that the charges were improperly framed under the wrong law.

Sheriff objected before the charges were formally presented, asserting that his client was being brought to court under section 13[1] of the Larceny Act of 1916, which he argued was legally inaccurate. The defense lawyer argued that the correct charge should be under Section 13[a] of the same Act, and he subsequently applied for the dismissal of the case.

The prosecutor requested time to respond to the defense counsel’s objection, and the accused, Eustace Harding, was remanded in custody until the next adjourned date.