By: Alimatu Kargbo
A wealthy couple accused of fleecing two Italian businessmen of US$210,000 in a sophisticated gold scam are desperately clutching at legal straws, arguing that prosecutors have “grossly insufficient” evidence to send them to trial.
Admire Frances Bio Jalloh, 45, and her husband Dauda Jalloh, 42, years old also known as Alhaji Dausy, appeared before Magistrate Mustapha Brima Jah at Pademba Road Court No. 1, their liberty hanging by a thread as their defence team mounted an aggressive bid to have all eleven charges thrown out.
The couple, who run GAN Minerals Sierra Leone Limited, stand accused of luring Fanni Giuseppe and Alfio Siracusa into a golden web of deceit between August 10 and 14, 2025. The prosecution paints a picture of calculated greed, US$100,000 for three kilograms of gold that prosecutors say never existed.
Another US$110,000 under the same false pretence.
US$15,000 for “exportation taxes” on gold that wasn’t there.
A violent robbery of the same gold the complainants allegedly never received and
Money laundering, forgery, selling minerals without a licence, and tax evasion
But defence counsel Melron C. Nicole Wilson Esq. told the court a very different story.
“This was a legitimate gold transaction,” Wilson insisted. “Our clients received payment and actually delivered three kilograms of gold to the complainants.”
According to the defence, the complainants left the transaction venue with the gold, and just one minute later, returned claiming they had been robbed.
“The evidence presented by the prosecution is grossly insufficient to commit my clients to the High Court for trial,” Wilson argued passionately.
Wilson raised eyebrows when he argued that the couple’s marriage couldn’t be used to prove conspiracy.
“The two accused are husband and wife,” he told the court. “Their relationship alone cannot establish a conspiracy between them.”
He further pointed to evidence that the complainants admitted under cross-examination that they received the gold but never tested it.
“How can my clients be held liable for obtaining money by false pretences when the complainants actually got what they paid for?” Wilson asked.
On the robbery allegation, Wilson painted a confusing picture. The complainants, he said, left the couple’s home and were stopped at what appeared to be a checkpoint near Goderich, not at the defendants’ residence.
“The second prosecution witness, the driver, didn’t even mention gold being stolen. He only spoke of men taking a small bag containing Leone notes,” counsel revealed.
He questioned whether this was even a robbery or simply a dishonest act at a checkpoint, and more importantly, how his clients could be linked to it.
Perhaps most dramatically, Wilson told the court that Dauda Jalloh wasn’t even in Sierra Leone when the alleged transactions and robbery took place.
“My client has provided his passport and flight tickets to the police,” counsel stated. “One of the complainants admitted in court that he didn’t even see the second accused when he came to collect the gold.”
In a surprising twist, Wilson referred to the Prema Fancy case, where a Lebanese national known as “Buddy” was allegedly implicated in similar dealings.
“Buddy was granted bail and disappeared,” counsel noted. “Yet my clients remain before this court.”
His message was clear;the law should distinguish between solid evidence and mere suspicion.
Magistrate Jah listened intently to the defence’s no-case submission before adjourning to August 13, 2026, giving prosecutors time to respond.
For now, the couple’s bail continues but their freedom, reputation, and future hang in the balance as Magistrate Jah considers whether there’s enough evidence to send them to the High Court.
Bail continues. Matter adjourned to August 13, 2026.
