News

By Francis H. Murray

Lawyers representing jailed former Defense Minister Alfred Paolo Conteh have appeared before the Court of Appeal in Freetown for the commencement of an appeal hearing following his conviction for illegal possession of firms and taking same to a public place.

Dr. Abdulai Conteh, representing the Applicant Appellant, in a brief statement expressed dissatisfaction with the absence of his client in court, calling it ‘‘lamentable and regrettable.’’

By Francis H. Murray

Four people arraigned before Magistrate Hannah Bonnie in Freetown have been remanded into the custody of the Correctional Services at the start of preliminary investigations into a two count charge of conspiracy to murder and murder. 

Police prosecutors allege that the four: Ishmael Koroma, Issa Alhaji Mansaray, Ernest Numeh Conteh and Lamin Tarawally on Sunday 8^th March 2020, at Kamagbemgeh Road in the Biriwa Chiefdom, in the Bombali District, murdered one Kadiatu Yeamie Kargbo.

By Francis H. Murray

Magistrate Hannah Bonnie in Freetown has remanded one Sheik Umar Karankay Conteh in the custody of the Correctional Services at the commencement of preliminary investigations into a six count charge.

By Mabinty M. Kamara

The Network Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD) has begun distribution of food and non-food items as support to District Coronavirus Emergency Response Centers (DiCOVERC) across the country.

The gesture, the organization said, is meant to boost the operations of the DICOVERCs and support the communities they operate in to effectively prevent themselves against COVID-19.

By Umaru Fofana

Four former Sierra Leonean rebels serving lengthy jail terms in a Rwandan prison have written to the President of the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone, John Kamanda expressing fear for their safety in Kigali.

Issa Sesay and Morris Kallon of the former RUF and Santigie Borbor Khanu and Ibrahim Bazzy Kamara of the former AFRC make several allegations bordering on threats they say were made against them by prison officials who they say accused them of parleying with genocide deniers in that country’s own civil war.

By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay

Minister of Finance, Jacob Jusu Saffa, has said the government will soon embark on major construction works with the aim of creating jobs for up to 5000 people across the country. Saffa made the announcement as part of his supplementary budget speech to Parliament on Friday.

He said the initiative is part of ways of getting back the economy on track in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

President Julius Maada Bio’s nominee for Chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) will face Parliament today after a select committee hearing yesterday.

Mohamed Kenewui Konneh, who until his appointment was head of the Financial Intelligence Unit, told the committee that if approved for the job the nation should rest assured that he would make sure the outcomes of all elections were accepted by Sierra Leoneans and the international community.