The presiding Judge further ordered convict Mohamed Gbakuie to compensate the two foreign investors, Malik Mohamed Sarik and Pushpakamt Babu Bahai Patel the sum of one hundred and fifty million leones for subjecting them to hardship, as the above –named complainants had to travel from Sierra Leone to India, which involved payments of flight tickets, hotel bills, feeding ,and left them parading the streets of Freetown frustrated and confused.
According to the court order the vehicle which convict Mohamed Gbakuie used to transport, one of the investors, Malik Mohamed Sarik to Sewa River along Bo- Kenema highway in Kenema district, with the intention to dump him into the said river, be confiscated by the state.
Mohamed Gbakuie’s co- convict, Mohamed Mansaray was also sentenced to five years imprisonment, and the colossal sum of money to be refunded to Malik Mohamed Sarik is equivalent to three billion, five hundred million six hundred and fourteen thousand leones.
Hon. Justice Alusine Sesay further informed the court the first convict Mohamed Gbakuie was very wicked to the first complainant, Malik Mohamed Sarik, when he attempted to dump him into Sewa River, after he had locked him up for three months in his premises at Kenema, before plotting to get rid of him.
He noted that such criminal activities perpetrated against foreign investors should be put to an end, as it has the potential to discourage foreign investors from investing in Sierra Leone.
The state, said the presiding Judge must protect foreign investors or investments, adding that the two investors wanted to embark on a large scale investment, which many unemployed Sierra Leone should have benefited from, but it could not come to reality due to self -interest and the two convicts lust for money and wealth.
Both convicts were charged with various offences ranging from conspiracy, attempted murder to false imprisonment, contrary to law, and that both convicts induced the complainants to travel to Sierra Leone as their business partners, after both convicts lured the complainants into believing that they have vast area of land for agricultural development with a mining company, called River Miners Mining Company, which never existed.
Both convicts, Mohamed Gbakuie and Mohamed Mansaray have been whisked to the Male Correctional Centre on Pademba Road in Freetown to start running their term.
The State was represented by lawyer Aruna Jalloh, while the convicts were defended by Lawyer Francis Ben Kailafa.
