By Allieu Sahid Tunkara
The defence team for the thirteen accused persons standing trial at the Court Martial presided over by Judge Advocate Otto During has closed its case on Wednesday, following the testimony of the last defence witness, Memunatu Mansaray.
Led in evidence by defence counsel, Ishmail Philip Mamie, the 26th defence witness testified on behalf of the 8th accused Private Alpha Mansaray who, she said, was her husband. She said she had stayed with him at the Teko barracks in northern town of Makeni where he was arrested.
Memunatu told the court that she had been in the marital relationship with the accused for over four years and that they had three children.
“The accused stayed at home for the rest of the day helping me in my household chores whenever he was not on duty,” she explained. She also told the court that on August 16, 2013, she was at home with the accused preparing breakfast when the fire alarm was blown to inform all soldiers in the battalion to report immediately to their authorities for checking. Upon hearing the fire alarm, she narrated, Private Mansaray dressed up in his military gear and left for the battalion headquarters. “Since the accused left, he has never returned home,” she said.
The witness stated that she had always slept together with the accused and that he had never slept out of the house, which meant her husband could not have taken part in any secret meeting, as alleged. Memunatu said that even when the accused was on leave in Mattru Jong in the Bonthe district, between 1st and 28th July, 2013, she was with him and that they returned together to the barracks after the leave. After the leave, she further testified, the accused resumed work.
The witness further told the court that there was a dispute over a charcoal transaction between Private Mansaray and the 10th prosecution witness, Memunatu Taqi Kamara. She said she had come to know about the dispute when the prosecution witness reported the issue to her and remarked that she would complain the accused to his military authorities to ensure he was dismissed from his job.
The 26th defence witness ended her testimony by stating that the 8th accused had attended no secret meeting at the St Andrews Junior Secondary School, where the prosecution alleged mutiny meetings had taken place, and that he had incited no one to commit mutiny.
“My husband, Private Mansaray, likes the military job as he has been performing his military duties with commitment and had never been locked up in the guardroom for any crime,” she ended.
On 2nd February, Gerard Soyei who was leading the prosecution fell ill on the court premises at the defence headquarters on Wilkinson Road in Freetown. Since then, he has not returned to court, leaving the prosecution to apply for five adjournments consecutively. After granting the fourth adjournment, Judge Advocate Otto During opposed further adjournment, stating it was slowing the process. After that the assistant prosecutor Vincent Sowa took over from Soyei.
The cause of Soyei’s ill health is not clearly known, but a source close to his family earlier told Politico that he had been “fired with a witch gun,” something which court attendees had speculated.
In the Wednesday cross examination conducted by the prosecution, Vincent Sowa, the 26th defence witness, in continuing her testimony, confirmed that though she got the complaint from the witness, she made no attempt to look into it. She also stated in the cross examination that she had stayed at the Teko barracks for four years, noting that none of the accused persons had gone to the residence of the 8th accused to hold a secret meeting there.
Having completed the cross examination, the prosecution counsel requested the court to give him two weeks for his final address which bothered on specific issues raised by the defence during their evidence-in-chief. His request was upheld by the Judge Advocate.
However, the defence counsel Ishmail Philip Mamie cautioned the prosecution to serve his team a copy of the final address before the next hearing.
No re-examination was done by the defence, as it previously happened.
Arrested in August 2013, thirteen soldiers of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces are standing trial at the Court Martial for conspiracy, mutiny and failure to suppress mutiny. They are currently remanded at the Pademba Road Male Correctional Centre since their arrest, though they deny all charges.
Earlier, the 9th accused Corporal Alex Jibao Koroma, was acquitted and discharged for ‘want of evidence’ following a no-case submission by the defence team.
On the basis of the two-week adjournment requested by the prosecution, the matter was adjourned to the 29th April.
© Politico 16/04/15
