Security guard Joseph Sesay attached to complainant Ali Abess in the ongoing alleged $500,000 theft matter involving his former employee Randa Skeikey has testified before Justice Alhaji Momoh Jah Stevens at the High Court of Freetown. The witness, who normally works at night at the complainant’s residence at Bintumani Drive, recognised Abess as his boss during his testimony on Friday 23rd October 2020.
He, however, recognised the accused as someone who normally stayed at Abess’s Bintumani Drive residence whenever he was out of the country. Mr. Sesay said sometime in August 2018, his boss left Sierra Leone, after which the accused came over and took charge of the house.
He said he saw the accused for the last time on 6th September 2018, the very day he was told by the accused that his boss will return to Sierra Leone. The witness said that he normally collects the keys to the gate from the accused at the shop whenever his boss was out of the country.
He said at round “8-9 pm the complainant came in with his family”, emphasising that he was in the compound when they arrived that night. The witness said after collecting the keys from the accused that day, he hadn’t seen her until in court.
During cross examination by counsel of the accused, lawyer Pa Momoh Fofanah, the witness said throughout the nine years he worked for Abess he never heard the complainant accuse Skeikey of stealing anything from the house. He informed counsel that there were other workers in the house, but as a security guard, he didn’t have the mandate to go inside the house.
Meanwhile, Abess’s wife had started testifying when Justice Stevens adjourned the matter to Friday 31st October 2020. The state alleged that on diverse dates between 25th August and 7th September 2018 at 30 Bintumani Drive in Aberdeen, Randa Skeikey stole $500,000 from her employer Ali Abess. The accused is currently on bail.
By Mohamed J. Bah