By Mohamed Foday Conteh
Gibrilla Kamara, a staff of the Western Area Urban District Corona Virus Response Centre (DICOVERC), attempted to flee custody when being transported from the Anti-Corruption Commission’s (ACC) Headquarters to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for safe custody, according to Ibrahim Bangura, a court officer at the ACC.
It was on this backdrop that Justice Cosmotina Jarrett refused bail for Kamara on the 11th August 2021.
He is on trial together with one Michael Abdulai who was also a staff of the same institution. The two men were arraigned in court on a three count charge. According to the ACC indictment, both accused persons are charged with conspiracy to commit a corruption offence, abuse of office and accepting an advantage –all contrary to the ACC Act of 2008 as amended.
According to the first prosecution witness, Andrew Demby, both the first and second accused persons while working as mobilisation officers for DICOVERC sold a COVID-19 vaccination card to one James Tamba who was using the undercover name John Sandy. It is said that the first accused received the sum of Le 300,000 in exchange for the said vaccine card knowing that Sandy had not been inoculated for the virus. The witness explained that the second accused was arrested after he attempted to flee the alleged crime scene.
The second prosecution witness, Elvira Marcella Pratt told the court that the second accused had said that he knew nothing about the said sale of the vaccine card. She added that the second accused had told her and one Mohamed Lazizo Sesay that he barely knew the first accused as a colleague. According to the voluntary caution statement of the second accused, Abdulai said that he was asked by the first accused to accompany him to Siaka Stevens Street which turned out to be the alleged crime scene.
Lawyer H. Timbo who was representing the two men, reapplied for bail for the first accused and a lenient bail condition for the second accused. However, Justice Jarrett refused bail for the first accused citing that he attempted to flee custody. She also refused to reduce the bail conditions for the second accused but directed Timbo to make the necessary applications as she adjourned the matter for Thursday, 14th October 2021.
Copyright © Politico Online (13/08/21)
