By Mohamed Foday Conteh
Justice Cosmotina Jarrett has sent one Gibrilla Kamara, a District CoronaVirus Response Centre (DICOVERC) mobiliser, on remand at the Pademba Road Correctional Centre.
Kamara appeared together with one Michael Abdulai at the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) section of the High Court in Freetown on Thursday 21 October this year, charged for corruption.
The two men were arraigned in court on three count charges. According to the ACC indictment, both accused face conspiracy to commit a corruption offence, abuse of office, and accepting an advantage – charges all contrary to the ACC Act of 2008 as amended.
According to the particulars of offence, both DICOVERC mobilisers were alleged to have sold a COVID-19 vaccination card to an ACC undercover investigator using the pseudonym John Sandy, for the sum of Le 300,000.
State Prosecutor, Hilary Nelson led in four witnesses who had testified against both accused persons on different dates this year.
Lawyer Nelson, on Thursday 21 October, applied to the judge to allow the ACC undercover investigator to testify behind screen. He said the reason for the application was to prevent the disclosure of his name, address and other personal information.
The State lawyer led in John Sandy (not his real name), the ACC undercover official who first met with both accused persons, after the judge granted his application.
Sandy, in his testimony, narrated to the judge how he initially met the first accused, Kamara, at Macauley Street Satellite Hospital on the 5th July this year. He said he told the Kamara he wanted a vaccine card even though he had not taken the jab because he had wanted to travel out of the country.
The witness said Kamara told him that they do not do such at the said hospital. He said he left the facility and headed for Regent Road via Circular Road where Kamara later followed him. He claimed the first accused told him that he will do what he wanted for the sum of Le 350,000.
He said, with that, the first accused took his personal details and the two men exchanged telephone numbers. He said the first accused promised to call him at 2pm so they could meet at Goderich Street Junction in order for him to collect the said vaccine card.
The ACC undercover agent said the accused called at the arranged time but he changed the location from Goderich Street Junction to Sierra Leone Postal Service (SALPOST) Head Office on Siaka Stevens Street.
Both accused persons met him there and was given the card for which he paid Le 300,000. It was while the first accused was counting the money that ACC officers came to the scene and made the arrests.
During cross-examination by defence lawyer, Hassan Deendie Timbo, the witness said that he only met the second accused, Abdulai at the time of exchange and had no business with him, but the first accused.
When the defence lawyer put it to him that he was not saying the truth, the witness affirmed that he was being truthful.
Justice Jarrett adjourned the matter to the 4th November 2021 with the second accused on bail while she ordered for Kamara to continue his remand because he had attempted to flee custody once.
Copyright © Politico Online 25/10/21
