Parliament Driver Arraigned for Alleged Theft of $75,000 Vehicle

A driver attached to the House of Parliament, Mohamed Kamanda, has been arraigned before Magistrate John Manso Fornah at Pademba Road Court No. 2 for the alleged theft of a high-value vehicle belonging to Honourable Dixon Momoh Rogers, the Chief Whip of Parliament.

The accused appeared in court on a charge of larceny contrary to Section 2 of the Larceny Act of 1916, following an incident that reportedly occurred on 30 December 2025 at the Parliament Building, Tower Hill, Freetown.

According to the particulars of the offence, Kamanda is accused of unlawfully stealing a Nissan Armada V8 Jeep, bearing registration number MDR 001, valued at seventy-five thousand United States dollars (US$75,000). The stolen properties also reportedly included Le 20,000 in cash and a pair of sunglasses, bringing the total value of the stolen items to approximately Le 1,827,890.

Led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Sorie Conteh, the prosecution called Princess Christina Abioseh Dumbuya, a staff member attached to Parliament, as the first prosecution witness. In her testimony, Dumbuya confirmed that Hon. Dixon Momoh Rogers is the Chief Whip of Parliament and that she was familiar with the accused, who served as a driver at the parliamentary building.

She told the court that on the day of the incident, the accused contacted her by phone to report that Hon. Rogers’ vehicle was missing. He claimed he was not present at the time and was on his way to Parliament to investigate. Hours later, he confirmed that the vehicle could not be found, including at nearby police checkpoints.

The witness further testified that a review of the vehicle logbook revealed that the accused had signed out the vehicle on the same day, with his name and signature clearly recorded. Subsequent attempts to contact the accused and his wife proved unsuccessful, as their phones were switched off.

Dumbuya stated that Hon. Rogers subsequently instructed police officers to recover the vehicle. Further investigations led to the identification of the accused’s cousin, Abass, who disclosed that he was attempting to sell the vehicle. Police officers, operating undercover, tracked Abass to Parton Street, where he contacted the accused. The accused reportedly agreed to sell the vehicle for Le 100 million.

A meeting was arranged at Alpha Bah Eastern, where the accused was arrested. The stolen vehicle was later recovered from a guesthouse where it had been parked.

Photographs of the vehicle and the recovery scene were taken by the witness and tendered in court as exhibits. She also confirmed that statements were obtained from her at the Central Police Station.

Defense counsel V. Gaber Esq. applied for bail on behalf of the accused; however, Magistrate Fornah refused the application, citing the seriousness of the offence and the value of the stolen property.

The matter was adjourned to 23 January 2026 for further hearing, while the accused remains in custody.