Sting Operation Yields Crucial Digital Evidence in Sea Coach Ticket Embezzlement Case

In a case implicating Sea Coach employees in ticket fraud, three defendants appeared before a Freetown magistrate, facing charges of conspiracy and embezzlement involving dozens of tickets.

The individuals presented themselves before Magistrate Mary Julian Gbloh at Pademba Road Court No. 5 in Freetown to address charges related to conspiracy and embezzlement.

The accused, Sheku Jimmy, 40 years old, Supervisor and Language Officer; Hassan Kamara, 38 years old, Cashier; and Mohamed Kamara, 41 years old, Cashier, are facing two counts: conspiracy to defraud, contrary to law, and embezzlement, contrary to Section 17(1)(b) of the Larceny Act of 1916.

On an unspecified date between February 12th and April 1st, 2025, at the Lungi International Airport terminal, Lungi, within the Kaffu Bullom Chiefdom, Port Loko Judicial District, North West Region, in Freetown, the accused allegedly conspired with unidentified individuals to commit a crime with intent to defraud.

Count two states that on the same date and at the same location, the accused fraudulently embezzled sixty-three Sea Coach tickets, each valued at $45, totaling approximately 73,710 Leones, which they received without authorization from Sea Coach Express management.

Upon the reading and explanation of the charges, the accused did not enter a plea.

Sergeant 5598 Santigie Koroma led the prosecution’s second witness, Micah Tanimu, an Operations Manager and Technician at Sea Coach. He identified all three accused and testified regarding a previous Orange Money transaction. Tanimu indicated he took a screenshot of this transaction, which was submitted and marked as Exhibit Z in court.

He explained that he and the first accused proceeded to the Lungi terminal to locate a private area. During this, the first accused contacted Mr. Bangura via phone, and the call was recorded. The witness requested the first accused’s mobile phone, which was surrendered. It was discovered that Mr. Bangura had sent two tickets to the accused, and screenshots of these tickets were captured. These screenshots were also presented in court for identification and marked as part of the court records.

The witness further stated that they subsequently went to the Sea Coach head office in Aberdeen for additional investigation. The accused persons were asked to wait but absconded within five minutes. Subsequently, officers proceeded to Aberdeen Police Station, where they reported the incident and obtained statements from the accused.

The prosecution requested a brief adjournment to facilitate the tendering of an audio recording related to the case.

Magistrate Gbloh adjourned the matter to July 8th, 2025. Bail for the accused remains ongoing.