By Allieu Sahid Tunkara
One of the accused persons standing trial at the ongoing court martial presided over by Judge Advocate Otto During, Private Abdulai Coker Suma, has been admitted at the 34-Military hospital in Freetown.
The Judge Advocate granted the accused permission to seek medical treatment at the 34 Military Hospital at Wilberforce in the west end of Freetown, following a complaint of illness made by the accused on Wednesday. The day`s hearing was supposed to see the submission of the final address by the prosecution after the closure of the defence`s case early this month.
Shortly before proceeding was to have commenced, Private Suma called on the attention of the judge, complaining that he had been diagnosed of Hepatitis, a condition which the accused said had impaired his breathing system. He said his condition was worsening everyday and could not seek the appropriate medical service since he was behind bars.
“I am sick and I want to seek medical treatment outside the prison custody,” Suma appealed to the court.
At this point, the Judge Advocate, Otto During, ordered that the accused be escorted to the 34 Military Hospital so that he could access treatment. During the accused`s stay at the hospital, the judge said, he must be supervised by both prison and military police authorities and should be taken back to prison custody when he shall have recovered. “My decision to grant the accused leave for medical treatment is based purely on humanitarian grounds,” told the court.
The judge however did not make any exact period for the accused to be confined to his hospital bed.
Private Suma first complained of his health condition early Aril when he said the prison department lacked the appropriate medical facilities to meet his healthcare needs. On that day, Private Suma told the court that he needed Le 1, 500, 000 (one million five hundred thousand leones) to foot his medical bill, a sum which he said had not been provided by the army. He also said he could not access his bank account to enable him do so, himself.
Based on his deteriorating health condition, he requested the court to allow his military authorities to make the necessary arrangement for him to be escorted to the bank where he would withdraw the required amount for his medical expenditure. His request was never granted by the court which back then told him to exercise patience as his situation would be taken care of.
Some military personnel present at the court on that day assured their sick colleague that they would pay him visit at the Pa Demba Road Male Correctional Centre to address his health situation.
Meanwhile, prosecution counsel, Vincent Sowa, failed to submit his final address to the court on Wednesday as earlier requested. He blamed administrative deficiencies for this. As is the accepted procedure in all criminal trials, the court expected the state counsel to submit his final address after the closure of the defence team’s case. It was for the dispensation of that legal burden that the state counsel applied to the court on the 15th April for a two week adjournment which was upheld by the Jude Advocate.
Relying on Rule 86 (2) of the Court Martial Rules of 2003, the State Counsel Wednesday applied to the court for another two weeks adjournment for him to submit his final address. The application was upheld by the Judge Advocate, who however warned the prosecution counsel to speed up his work.
“Do your homework properly,” Otto During remarked.
None of the defence lawyers were present in court when the prosecution counsel made the application.
Arrested in August 2013, thirteen soldiers of the Republic of Serra Leone Armed Forces are currently standing trial at the court martial for Conspiracy, mutiny and failure to suppress mutiny. They have been in remand at the Pa Demba Road Male Correctional Centre since they were arrested. One of the accused persons, Corporal Alex Jibao Koroma who swelled their number to fourteen, had been acquitted and discharged following a ‘no-case submission’ made by the defence.
Based on the prosecution counsel’s application, the matter was adjourned to 13th May.
© Politico 30/04/15
