By Mohamed Foday Conteh
Justice Cosmotina Jarrett has on the 10th August 2021 granted bail to one Michael Abdulai who is on trial over allegation by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) of selling fake COVID-19 vaccine card in Freetown.
Abdulai is charged together with one Gibrilla Kamara who were both arraigned in court on three (3) Counts of corruption offences including; Conspiracy to commit a corruption offence, abuse of office and accepting an advantage all contrary to sections 128 (1), 28 (2) and 42 (1) of the ACC Act No. 12 of 2008 as amended in 2019.
Both accused persons were said to be staff of the Western Area Urban District Coronavirus Response Centre (DICOVERC). Abdulai and Kamara were both mobilisation officers stationed at the Macauley Street Hospital in Freetown.
Andrew Demby, a senior investigator of the ACC, told the court that both accused persons were first approached by Simeon Tamba who used the undercover name John Sandy. Sandy was said to have approached both accused persons for vaccine card since he had wanted to fly overseas for studies. Demby continued to testify that he led the investigations together with one Elvira Pratt, Tamba, Soriba Kamara, Samson James and Mohamed Konko Kamara.
The Investigator said that they were acting on command from the Commissioner to effect an arrest of one DICOVERC staff who had solicited money from Tamba (Sandy) on the notion of giving him a vaccine card. He said that the 1st accused, Kamara promised to present the vaccine card to Sandy even though he knew that he had not taken a shot.
Demby further told the court that the sum of Le 300,000 was provided by the ACC to which Sandy was said to have used to pay the 1st accused person. He added that it was based on an intelligence given to them by Sandy that they moved to Post Office on Siaka Stevens Street. He said that he saw the 1st accused handing over the vaccine card to Sandy in exchange with the said amount of money. He continued that it was at that moment that they arrested the 1st accused and that the second accused had tried to flee when he was also nabbed.
Lawyer H. Timbo applied for bail for both accused persons after he had cross-examined the ACC witness. However, Justice Jarrett was opposed to the said bail based on reports that the 1st accused had attempted to flee custody.
This was confirmed by one Ibrahim Bangura, a court officer attached to the ACC. Bangura said that Kamara tried to flee when he was on transport from the ACC to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters on Pademba Road. He said the 1st accused jumped out of the car as they slowed down to enter the premises of the CID. He said that the 1st accused outpaced him when he attempted to chase him. He added that it was pedestrians who came to his aid after he shouted thief at the 1st accused.
Justice Jarrett, on this backdrop, refused bail for the 1st accused. She, however, granted a 100 million Leones with two property owner sureties bail to the second accused.
The matter is set continue today at 2pm at the ACC Court in Freetown.
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