Victim Recounts Disheartening Encounter With Canadian Visa Fraudsters
By Fatima Sesay
Three defendants; Thomas Bundu, Debora Gitta Kamara and Albert Junior Lamin, are standing trial before Principal Magistrate Mustapha Braima Jah of Pademba Road Court No. 1 for allegedly issuing fake Canadian Visa to over five people on the pretext that they will make them travel to Canada.
The three defendants are before the court on five count charges of conspiracy to commit a crime contrary to law, and four counts of obtaining money by false pretences contrary to Section 32(1) of the Larceny Act of 1961.
According to the particulars of offence, it was alleged that the defendants, on dates between 4th October 2025 and 15th February 2026 at No. 41 Freetown Road, Lumley, Freetown, conspired together to commit a crime, to wit: obtaining money by false pretences.
It was further alleged that the defendants, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of Four Thousand and Fifty United States Dollars (USD 4,050), equivalent to Ninety-Five Thousand Nine Hundred and Eighty-Five New Leones (NLe95,985), from one of the complainant, Kumba Moripeh, under the pretext that they would facilitate her travel from Sierra Leone to Canada with a work visa, knowing same to be false.
The charge sheet further states that on the same date and place, the defendants allegedly obtained another Two Thousand and Fifty United States Dollars (USD 2,050), equivalent to Forty-Eight Thousand Four Hundred New Leones (NLe48,400), from Mary Degba Lebbie under the same pretext.
It also states that the defendant on another date between 4th October 2025 and 30th November 2025, at the same address, allegedly obtained the sum of One Thousand Eight Hundred United States Dollars (USD 1,800), equivalent to Forty-Three Thousand Three Hundred New Leones (NLe43,300), and Six Thousand New Leones (NLe6,000), totalling Forty-Nine Thousand Three Hundred New Leones (NLe49,300), from Florence Fengai on the pretext of facilitating her travel to Canada with a work visa.
Furthermore, between 23rd January 2026 and 30th January 2026, at the same place, the defendants allegedly obtained the sum of Seventy-Three Thousand Two Hundred New Leones (NLe73,200) from Sorie Ibrahim Sesay under similar false pretences.
Testifying in court, the witness, Patricia M. Abu, in cross examination, said the first defendant, Thomas Bundu, never explained the travel programme to her and that she did not receive any application form from him.
Patricia further stated that she did not make any direct payment to the first defendant, Thomas Bundu, and that the initial dealings between them did not take place at his place of work.
She told the court that payments were made in the presence of all the defendants at the office of their lawyer, alongside her own lawyer, and the money was handed over to the defendants in her presence. She insisted that she did not hand over money directly to the first defendant,Thomas Bundu.
The witness said she knew the first defendant, Thomas Bundu, in October 2025, after he was introduced to her by the second defendant, Deborah Gitta Kamara, and was told that the transaction is being handled under “Positive Travel and Tour company “.
She further stated that she entered into a written agreement with the defendants for the facilitation of her travel to Canada, which included a refund clause if the arrangement failed.
According to her, she travelled to Guinea where she underwent biometric fingerprinting, which was supervised, and her personal details were verified before the process. However, she furthered that she later discovered that the visa issued to her was fake.
She also told the court that staffs at the company had instructed her to wait for an offer letter from Guinea to enable her travel to Canada, but when the time elapsed without receiving the document, she requested a refund.
Patricia said a repayment agreement was later signed by the first defendant, Thomas Bundu, but when no refund was made, she reported the matter to the police.
The witness further stated that during her first visit to the company, the second defendant, Deborah Gitta Kamara, introduced one Mr. Sammy as her boss, and that she also knew the third defendant, Albert Junior Lamin.
She continued that she was asked to pay US$4,000 for the visa process and that she initially paid US$1,500 (equivalent to Le34,500,000), which was handed over at the office of the lawyer of the defendants, who issued a receipt to her .
She added that she later paid a total of US$4,500 at the same office in the presence of all defendants. She maintained that both the second and third defendants were present during the payments, and that it was the first defendant, Thomas Bundu, who signed for the money received.
After cross examination there was no reexamination done by the Prosecutor, Inspector Mabel Tarawalie.
Defence Counsel C. W Leigh adopted his previous bail application on behalf of the first defendant, Thomas Bundu, pursuant to Section 76(1)(c) of the Criminal Procedure Act, 2024.
Magistrate Jah refused bail and adjourned the matter to the 23rd of April 2026.
