By Allieu Sahid Tunkara
Former Deputy Education Minister Mahmoud Tarawallie has told the High Court in Freetown that the sexual affair he had with a student was consensual. He said the whole incident lasted for an hour because "there was a foreplay preceding the act..there was romance and kisses before the sex."
Under cross-examination by State Prosecutor Allieu Vandi Koroma before Justice Abdulai Charm on Tuesday, Tarawallie told the court he had known the complaint in the matter for about four months as a girl friend. He said the complainant had met him on two occasions for a scholarship to study in Ukraine but denied receiving a document from her.
Prosecutor Vandi Koroma put it to the accused that while trying to restrain the complainant from going out of the bedroom, he damaged his mobile phone and even sustained injuries, a statement the accused rejected saying he even gave transport fare to the complainant after the sexual intercourse.
Lawyer Vandi Koroma was granted permission by the judge to show the accused the voluntary cautioned statement he made to the police. The accused read a portion of the statement which contained a question bordering on him referring the complainant to a Mr. Edmond Pearce, the Director of Scholarships and Grants at the Ministry of Education when she made the request for the scholarship from the accused.
According to the statement, the accused indicated that he referred complainant to Mr. Pearce in answer to a question put to him by the police investigator. When the issue was raised in cross-examination, the accused denied ever referring the complainant to Mr. Pearce on the scholarship question.
Tarawallie told the court that although he said NO to the question, the police investigators wrote YES. Prosecutor Vandi then told the judge that the accused signed the police statement.
No re-examination was conducted by the lawyer for the defence.
Ex-Minister Mahmoud Tarawallie is standing trial on three-counts of rape, wounding and assault.
The prosecution alleged that Tarawallie committed the offences sometime in 2013 at Handell Street Kingtom in the Western Area of the Republic of Sierra Leone. The trial continues.
© Politico 27/05/15
