Mohamed Kargbo, a 27-year-old student and farmer, was in court on Monday, February 24th, 2025, facing charges of stealing from the Royal Ark Foreign Exchange Bureau.

He is accused of taking 53,000 Leones in cash and a mobile phone worth 2,700 Leones, totaling 55,700 Leones. The theft reportedly happened on September 13, 2024, at Royal Town, Freetown.

Kargbo pleaded not guilty to the charges when the case was read to him in front of Magistrate Santigie Bangura. The prosecution, led by Sergeant 3378 Theresa Ballay, presented their case with testimony from CID officer Augustine Robert Lansana.

Lansana explained that on September 14, 2024, Philip Bockarie Kamara, the complainant, reported that Kargbo had stolen from him. The following day, Kargbo was brought in by a relative with one of the stolen items, a black Tecno Spark 20 phone. Lansana testified that after the statement was explained to Kargbo in Krio, he admitted it was true.

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Lansana also said that they visited the crime scene, where Kamara identified a small kiosk with the stolen phone and 51,200 Leones in cash under a table. Photos of the scene were taken as evidence.

Kargbo was formally charged on October 14, 2024. Magistrate Bangura adjourned the case to March 11, 2025, and Kargbo remains out on bail while the investigation continues.