Dr Richard Konteh
By Aminata Phidelia Allie
A Freetown Magistrate yesterday refused bail for the third time to the sacked State House Chief of Staff , Dr Richard Konteh and three others standing trial for illegally exporting timber against a nationwide ban.
It followed the second prosecution witness's seeming unease in court and shedding of tears in the witness box as he testified yesterday in the ongoing preliminary investigations of the four men.
Sana Mara, who identified himself as the Senior Permanent Secretary in the ministry of trade complained that he was “feeling upset” and asked for water which he said couldn’t be denied of him because “it is my right”.
The witness, looking absent-minded to the extent that questions had to be posed to him several times before he could respond to them, bowed his head, shook it and wiped his eyes in front of the crowded courtroom of Freetown Magistrates’ Court No.2 presided over by Komba Kamanda.
He identified and retendered documents that had already been tendered by his predecessor - PW1. However, he could not tender a copy of the clearance letter which had come from the sacked chief of staff’s office at State House because Dr. Konteh’s lawyers said the witness lacked the competency to tender it as a document that bore an allegedly forged signature.
They insisted that if the document was to be tendered in court, it should be an original copy or an expert should examine it and say that the president’s signature on it was indeed forged.
After much argument from both the defence and prosecuting counsels about the authenticity or otherwise of the letter, Magistrate Kamanda ruled that he would adjourn and deliver his ruling at the next sitting.
Bail applications were again turned down and the matter was adjourned to Thursday, July 10.
Relieved of his duty last month, Dr Konteh is accused of forging a presidential order giving clearance for the export of Value Added Timber. He stood alongside timber export tycoon, Alie Suma and a customs official, Leslie Peter Crosbie. They jointly face an eight-count charge of conspiracy, forgery, altering forged document and wilfully evading export duties amounting to over Le 4 billion for the export of over 600 containers or timber.
They allegedly committed the crimes between 1st February 2013 and 31st May this year.
(C) Politico 08/07/14
