By Foday Moriba Conteh
A serious dispute involving an alleged fake United States visa arrangement and an unfulfilled US$15,250 refund undertaking has surfaced in Freetown, with Mariama Stanley accusing Ram King Jacob Smith of failing to honour a written repayment commitment signed in February 2025.
According to findings by this medium, Ram King Jacob Smith allegedly collected US$15,250 (Fifteen Thousand Two Hundred and Fifty United States Dollars) from Mariama Stanley and others under the representation of facilitating the processing of United States of America visas. However, Mariama Stanley alleges that the visa later presented to her was fake and that the promised travel process never materialized.
Following repeated attempts to secure a refund, the matter was reportedly taken to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Sierra Leone Police, where Ram King Jacob Smith was said to have been arrested and detained for five days.
The legal firm of Emmanuel Teddy Koroma, Teddy Koroma & Associate, acting at the time as counsel for Ram King Jacob Smith, reportedly intervened through a staff member identified as Patrick Williams to facilitate his release. Mariama Stanley alleges she was assured that the refund process would be handled, on the understanding that the matter be withdrawn from the CID, which she subsequently did.
The following day, both parties reportedly visited the offices of Teddy Koroma & Associate, where an undertaking was prepared by Patrick Williams and read to the complainant before being signed by both Mariama Stanley and Ram King Jacob Smith. The signing was said to have taken place in the presence of Georgietta Bangura, then Legal Secretary and Sheku Mansaray, then a Clerk at the firm.
The undertaking, a copy of which was reviewed by this medium, states that Ram King Jacob Smith agreed to refund the full US$15,250, beginning with monthly payments of US$4,000 from the end of March 2025 until the amount was fully settled. The document further provided that failure to comply would leave room for appropriate legal action.
However, more than one year later, Mariama Stanley alleges that not a single payment has been made, while the whereabouts of Ram King Jacob Smith are said to be currently unknown.
Speaking to this medium, Mariama Stanley said she has repeatedly visited Teddy Koroma & Associate, the legal firm that represented Ram King Jacob Smith and in whose presence the undertaking was executed, but no progress has been made toward recovery of the funds.
When contacted for comment, Emmanuel Teddy Koroma confirmed knowledge of the matter and acknowledged that his firm had previously acted as legal representative for Ram King Jacob Smith. He, however, stated that the firm had since ceased representing him due to his failure to comply with the signed undertaking, adding that their efforts to reach him have also been unsuccessful.
Legal experts say such written undertakings can carry substantial evidentiary weight in civil proceedings, particularly where the debtor expressly acknowledges receipt of funds and agrees to a repayment schedule.
This medium also reached out directly to Ram King Jacob Smith through a message and several follow-up calls seeking his response to the allegations, but he neither replied to the message nor answered the calls. As of Press time, all efforts to obtain his side of the matter had proved unsuccessful.
With public concern mounting over the alleged informal visa-processing arrangements, attention is now turning to whether Mariama Stanley will return the matter to law enforcement or pursue civil action to enforce the undertaking.
