Court Hears How $17,500 Disappeared in Alleged Gold Scam

Dramatic testimony unfolded Thursday at Pademba Road Court No. 2, where a prosecution witness implicated 42-year-old businessman Sheka Kargbo in an alleged $17,500 fraud scheme.

The witness, Lateef Belo Osagic, an economist, told the court that he was deceived into paying the money under false pretenses during what was presented to him as a legitimate gold business transaction.

Osagic testified that he met the accused on July 1, 2025, at Youyi Building after being introduced by his brother-in-law, Mr. Frank Belo, to facilitate a potential gold export deal in Sierra Leone.

He explained that on September 22, 2025, he traveled to Sierra Leone and met with a man identified as Malick Kuyateh, purportedly to discuss export taxes and licensing. They later proceeded to the Ministry of Mines, where they met a staff member claiming that the 3% government export tax could be paid directly to him.

Osagic said he handed over $17,500 to the man, who issued a receipt that was later discovered to be fraudulent. The group then arranged to meet at the National Mines Agency (NMA) in New England Ville, but on the way, they stopped briefly to purchase a SIM card. Upon returning, Kuyateh had disappeared, and his phone was switched off.

Realizing they had been defrauded, Osagic and his associates reported the matter to the police. The following day, the accused was apprehended at Youyi Building and taken into custody for investigation.

During cross-examination, defense counsel S.M. Kargbo adopted the previous bail application, but Magistrate John Manso Fornah refused bail, citing the serious nature of the offence.

The accused has been remanded at the Male Correctional Centre in Freetown, and the matter was adjourned to November 3, 2025, for further proceedings.