Forty-seven-year-old technician Daniel Moseray and forty-six-year-old driver Ibrahim Bai Bureh Mansaray appeared before Magistrate Santigie Bangura at Pademba Road Court No. 2, facing charges of Larceny by Servant under Section 17(1)(a) of the Larceny Act 1916.

The charges allege that on November 7, 2023, at Sierratel’s Mile-91 location in the northern province, the accused, as employees of Sierra Leone Telecommunication Network Company (Sierratel), stole various items. The stolen items reportedly included two 18,000 BTU air conditioners, a base transceiver station, a rectifier cabinet, a radio unit, a Huawei microwave, a radio rack with six Aviator units, a Cisco 2960 network switch, six feeder network cables, six intermediate frequency cables, a GPS ball, a GPS cable, earthing cables, twelve batteries, and 12v/200AH backup batteries.

When the charges were read, both accused pleaded not guilty.

During the hearing, Deputy Superintendent of Police Sorie Conteh led the fourth prosecution witness, Sergeant 8576 Issa Kamara, who is responsible for the safekeeping of exhibits at the CID headquarters on Pademba Road, Freetown. Kamara recalled receiving the stolen items on December 1, 2023, from Sergeant 12188 Folarin A of the breaking and larceny syndicate.

The items included the aforementioned stolen goods, wire, wire cutters, pliers, three spinners, a cutting knife, two connectors, and a black bag. These items were registered under serial number RCE 131/2024 and have since been in police custody. All items were produced and tendered in court to become part of the official court records.

The accused, who were not represented by legal counsel, cross examined the witness.

Magistrate Bangura adjourned the matter to July 17, 2024, with bail continuing for the accused. The case has drawn significant attention due to the substantial value of the stolen items and the involvement of employees in the alleged theft.