The high-profile fraud case against Admire Bio Jalloh and Dauda Jalloh took a significant turn at Pademba Road Magistrate Court No. 1 when defence counsel Melron Nicol-Wilson filed a no-case submission after weeks of prosecution evidence.
The matter came up before Magistrate Mustapha Braima Jah. Prosecution counsel Yusif Isaac Sesay led Detective Inspector Abubakarr Hassan of the Foreign National and Tourism Unit at CID Headquarters as the third prosecution witness.
Hassan told the court that on 15 August 2025, while on duty, he received a report of conspiracy to commit robbery and related offences from two Italian nationals, Alfio Siracusa and Fani Giuseppe.
He said the Anti-Fraud Unit recorded a statement from witness Ibrahim Sesay, which was tendered as an exhibit. On the same day, Detective Sergeant Hassan Kargbo took a statement from Lebanese national Bahij Moujass, popularly known as “Buddy.”
Statements were also obtained from the first accused, Admire Francess Bio Jalloh, and later from complainant Alfio Siracusa. All were tendered and marked as exhibits.
On 10 September 2025, Siracusa gave an additional statement together with a receipt of payment issued by Admire Bio. That document was also tendered. Further statements were taken from “Buddy” on 20 October 2025.
Hassan further testified that on 4 November 2026 he and Detective Corporal Sesay visited No. 92 Wilkinson Road in Freetown to verify the address of GAN Minerals Sierra Leone Ltd that appeared on an invoice given to the complainant. They found an unfinished building housing a shop operated by a Lebanese national, but no office under the name GAN Minerals. The property owner, Madam Esther Finda Dauda, denied any knowledge of the company. Her statement was tendered as an exhibit.
Investigators also wrote to the National Minerals Agency on 30 October 2025 to verify payments linked to the alleged gold transaction. The NMA later confirmed it had received US$15,000 on 19 October 2025 from “Buddy,” described as a refund for three kilograms of gold. A reply from the NMA dated 6 May 2026 was tendered but not read because the case is still at the preliminary stage.
Hassan confirmed that Admire Bio Jalloh faces charges of conspiracy to defraud, obtaining money by false pretence, conspiracy to rob, money laundering, receiving money on a forged document, uttering forged documents, selling minerals without a licence, and tax evasion.
In March 2026 investigators recorded a statement from the second accused, Dauda Jalloh, also known as “Dauzy.” On 1 July 2026 he submitted his flight ticket and was charged with similar offences. His charged statement was tendered and marked as an exhibit.
At the close of the prosecution’s case, defence lawyer Melron Nicol-Wilson invoked Section 113(8) of the Criminal Procedure Act No. 8 of 2024 and submitted that the defendants had no case to answer.
Magistrate Jah adjourned the matter to 10 August 2026 for continuation and directed the prosecution to file its response to the no-case submission by 13 August 2026.
