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Principal Magistrate Mark Ngegba of Magistrate Court No.1 in Freetown yesterday remanded Ali Jaffal trading as Jaffal Blocks & Construction of 24 Main Motor Road, at the Pademba Road Maximum Male Correctional Centre, until the next adjourned date of 28th August 2023.
The Lebanese businessman/building contractor Ali Jaffal was first arrested on Friday, 18th August, 2023 on a warrant issued by Principal Magistrate Mark Ngegba for a civil action brought against him for fraudulent conversion of the sum of US$370,000 (three hundred and seventy thousand United States Dollars) by Fawaz Building Materials for the construction of a warehouse (store building) at Kelsey Road, Kissy Dock Yard in Freetown. He was released on the same day on orders from above.
Leading evidence in court, the witness Kelvin Julius Kanu, a staff of Fawaz Building Materials said he recalled on a date between 18th October 2022 and 30th June 2023, when the complainant Fawaz Building Materials entered into a contract with the defendant Ali Jaffal for the construction of a store of area 1800 square meter (height 24 feet), and with a duration of four months for completion of same.
The witness stated that, as per the contract agreement, Fawaz Building Materials was to produce the materials needed for the warehouse construction, but the defendant Ali Jaffal collected materials more than what was estimated for the building work, and also did not deliver the store building on time and according to mutually agreed specification.
According to Kelvin Julius Kanu, the store building was delivered by the defendant but not the actual size that was agreed on. This, Kanu said, was detected by a private quantity surveyor and valuer Eben Elliott and Associates contracted by the complainant. In their report, Eben Elliott concluded that, โThe building under investigation is poorly constructed and finishedโ.
The contract agreement, record of exact materials supplied and signed for by the defendant was produced and tendered in court as exhibit.
Lead defence counsel, Jessy Munda Jengo, applied for bail, but his bail application was objected to by the complainant counsel on the grounds that the defendant Ali Jaffal was a flight risk and a notorious businessman that is in a higher court for similar but unrelated offences.
At the Magistrate Court yesterday, the defendant, Ali Jaffal, was issued with an order of arrest from the High Court of Sierra Leone presided over by Justice Hannah Bonnie.
Meanwhile, Police have confirmed that, at least other clients of Ali Jaffal have made reports against him for similar but unrelated allegations.
Investigations continue.
