By Aruna Rashed Toma Bangura
Popular Freetown based
transport magnate, Ali Abess the complainant in the ongoing US$500,000 (five
hundred thousand Dollars) case that was allegedly stolen by a female Lebanese,
Kanda Skaiky, has been cross examined by Defense Lawyer for the accused, M.P
Fofanah.
In his testimony, Ali Abess
told the court that before he departed for Lebanon, he left keys to the upper
part of his house leading to his 2 bedrooms and his shop key at 128 Sir Samuel
Lewis Road, Aberdeen, with the accused who, he said, escorted him to the
Aberdeen Water Taxi jetty en route to the Lungi Airport. He said he had money in
his shop safe and that the accused was present when Ecobank staff came with a vehicle
and collected the money, adding that he handed all his keys to the accused.
Ali Abess said he did not
tell the accused about the money in his bedroom closet as there was no need for
that and that he has no recording of the instructions given by him to the
accused to open his room and closet, but that he sent a voice note from the accused
after she had removed the US$140,000 that she was instructed to do from primary
to secondary locations.
He told the court that on
his return to Sierra Leone, he met £5,000,
US$2,000 in 5 dollar bills in his secret shelf and also the Leones currency
intact; adding that during his three weeks stay in Lebanon, the accused was in charge
of both his business office and home. Ali Abess said during his absence, money
was coming in from the business which he said the accused Kanda Sheiky was in
charge but had no problems with that as it was not handed over to him, adding
that nobody audits his account.
He said that he did not have
documentary evidence but that his wife is his witness to ascertain that he had such
amount of cash at home.
He said his wife has never
been a suspect and that she was not called by the police to make a statement,
adding that he is unaware of any bad blood between the accused and his wife and
that no complaint was made to him about his wife by the accused.
He said he is also not aware
of any altercation between the accused and his wife, adding that they have been
together when the accused paid visit occasionally and that there has been no
love affair between him and the accused. Ali Abess further informed the court that
he had not at anytime sexually harassed the accused, and that since he employed
the accused in 2012, she has been left six times in charge of his house and
that most times during those six times, his wife was not around, adding that
the accused was in charge and around with Nancy, Musa and Amadu.
He said during working hours,
the workers are limited to the downstairs apartment and that the accused was solely
in charge of the upstairs, adding that at night, the accused stays alone in the
house with the security guards downstairs.
Justice Alhaji Momoh Jah
Stevens informed both the State and Defense Counsels that they will pay a locus
visit to the scene of crime while the accused continues to be on bail.
The matter was adjourned to
Monday, 21st September, 2020.
