Court Hears Testimony on Alleged Forgery of NRA Survey Receipts by Surveyors

The Deputy Director of Lands provided testimony in court concerning forged National Revenue Authority (NRA) survey receipts, allegedly fabricated by two surveyors.

The accused, Ahmed Mansaray, 39, and Maligie Kanu, 33, both surveyors, appeared before Magistrate Augustine Brima Samura at Pademba Road Court No. 8. They face seven charges, including conspiracy to commit a crime, forgery, and uttering forged documents.

According to the case details, the alleged offenses occurred between June 10th and June 12th, 2025, at Youyi Building, Brookfields, Western Area, Freetown. The accused are charged with conspiring with unidentified individuals to commit forgery, specifically forging NRA survey bill receipts with the intent to defraud.

The charges specify that on June 12th, 2025, the accused forged three NRA survey bill receipts, indicating payments of fifty-three Leones each, purportedly paid by Isatu Isha Dumbuya, with plan and LS numbers NA 35205, NA 34125, and NA 32201. They are also charged with knowingly and fraudulently uttering these forged documents at the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Country Planning.

Upon reading the charges, both accused pleaded not guilty.

The prosecution, led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Joan M. S. Bull and Detective Police Constable Joseph Lamin Dumbuya, presented their first witness, Abraham Cooper, Deputy Director of Surveys at the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Country Planning.

Mr. Cooper testified that on June 10th, 2025, while on duty, the first accused submitted three survey plans with attachments via an assistant. The witness observed that the accompanying NRA receipts lacked One-Time Password (OTP) numbers, which are essential for authenticity. He further identified the receipts as non-genuine and confirmed that the accused persons admitted the second accused issued them.

The witness stated that the receipts, dated March 24th and 25th, 2025, were taken into custody and have remained in the ministry’s possession. He explained that the documents were subsequently handed over to the Environmental Crime Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.

During the proceedings, the defense objected to the tendering of the receipts, arguing that the witness was not the rightful custodian of the documents and that proper foundation had not been established for their admission. The prosecution countered that the witness, as Deputy Director of Surveys, was authorized to identify and tender documents in his custody, and that the documents had been in his lawful possession.

Magistrate Samura ruled that the receipts could be tendered by the witness, as he was the custodian of the documents, and that their custody was established through lawful means. The magistrate noted that the documents were in the ministry’s custody during the investigation and could be properly tendered as part of the court record.

The survey plans and related documents were formally admitted into evidence. The prosecution reported that the accused had also been handed over to the Environmental Crime Unit for further investigation.

The court denied bail for the accused, remanding them at the male correctional facility in Freetown. The matter was adjourned to July 17th, 2025, to facilitate the tendering of the original survey plans in court.