By Dauda Koroma
Principal Magistrate Mark Ngegba of Pademba Road Court No.1 yesterday convicted a Cameroonian national Ndakwe Tata Sylvain of holding a counterfeit passport and attempting to use same to travel out of Sierra Leone via the Freetown International Airport in Lungi.
The convict was standing trial on one count of possession of a travelling document suspected to have been unlawfully obtained, contrary to Section 13 (1) of the Summary Conviction Offences Act of 1966.
According to the charge sheet, the convict, Ndakwe Tata Sylvain, on Saturday 8 July 2023, at the Freetown International Airport, Lungi, while attempting to travel out of Sierra Leone, was found in possession of a fake travelling document, to wit: one United States of America passport with Serial Number 681471593 bearing the name and photograph of Oliver Agah Tata, which was suspected to have been unlawfully obtained.
The convict had earlier pleaded guilty to the offence when the charges were read and explained to him. He also pleaded for mercy, and promised that he would not commit the offence again.
Furthermore, defence counsel M. S. Kamara pleaded with the magistrate not to impose a custodial sentence, stating that the convict is a first-time offender who has learned his lessons.
Police prosecutor Sergeant 9939 Lahai Farma argued otherwise, saying the commission of the crime was very serious and should not be treated lightly. After hearing both sides, Magistrate Ngegba sentenced the convict to three months in prison with an alternative fine of NLe5,000.
