By Mohamed Foday Conteh
Former All People’s Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate, Dr. Samura Kamara on Tuesday 14th of December 2021 pleaded not guilty to the corruption allegations levied against him by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) at High Court No. 1 presided over by Justice Adrian Fisher.
The former presidential candidate’s appearance saw heightened armed police presence around the court’s precincts, with some dressed in anti-riot gears.
Dr. Samura Kamara was arraigned in court to answer two count charges of deceiving the government and misappropriation of public funds in relation to the country’s Chancery building in the United States.
According to the particulars of offense, the former APC flagbearer as Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation between the 1st of January and 30th of April 2016 deceived the Government by misleading Cabinet on the reliability of an American Construction Company responsible for the reconstruction of Sierra Leone’s Chancery Building in New York.
The ACC also alleged that the former Foreign Minister misappropriated public funds amounting to two million, five hundred and sixty thousand United States Dollars ($2,560,000) meant for the said reconstruction of the nation’s Chancery Building on East Street in New York.
At the commencement of the trial, one of the State Prosecutors, Oladipo Robin-Mason Snr. applied for amendment of the indictment to include certain words and phrases.
Calvin Matsebo, another ACC Prosecutor, raised a concern with regards to the announcement of Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara’s representation for Dr. Samura Kamara. He said he considers the lawyer’s representation to be unethical since the prosecution would like to call him as an additional witness in the trial.
He added that it would be inappropriate for the lawyer to testify against the accused after representing him. “I find it awkward,” he said.
Lawyer J.F. Kamara, in his reply to Matsebo, told the judge that the issue with his representation has nothing to do with morality or ethics but that of law and that the prosecutor should have furnished him in writing of his intention.
Franklin Bai Kargbo, another lawyer for Dr. Samura Kamara also replied to lawyer Matsebo’s request on the grounds that the prosecution did not treat the issue of calling lawyer Kamara as an additional witness with seriousness, since they did not do so in writing, irrespective of the time they had.
After the arguments on representation and amendment of the indictment, Lawyer Kargbo applied for bail for his client citing that he has served the State for over 40 years. He said the former Foreign Minister is looking forward to clearing his name by not jumping bail.
Dr. Samura Kamara was arraigned in court together with Head of New York Chancery Sierra Leone’s Permanent Mission to the UN, Saidu Nallo; the Mission’s former Financial Attaché, Foday Vahfomba Bawoh and former Permanent Representative, Foday Suma.
The other two accused persons, Dr. Kandeh Foday Basil Kamara, current Mission Financial Attaché and US Citizen and President of Fairfield Construction Company LLC, Jules Sanders Davis, were not in court.
Justice Fisher granted a bail condition of 2 billion Leones with two sureties in the Western Area for each of the four accused persons. He also ordered that each surety must provide a property worth 1 billion Leones.
The judge then directed that all four accused persons surrender their traveling documents to the Master and Registrar.
Justice Fisher adjourned the matter for a pre-trial to the 5th January 2022 at the High Court in Freetown.
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