By Tanu Jalloh
Four lawyers clash tomorrow at the Special Court, sitting at the fast-track court on Government Wharf in central Freetown, to determine whether the Kamajor Director of War should return to the Rwandan jail or not.
Lawyer Melron Nicol-Wilson, the assigned counsel and Ibrahim Yillah, the principal defender would appear for Moinina Fofana, expected to make his first appearance before Justice Vivian Solomon on Wednesday 16 March, this year for allegedly breaching one of the terms of his conditional early release from a Rwandan prison.
Two counsels from The Hague in the Netherlands, Brenda Hollis and Mohamed Bangura, would appear for the prosecution.
In a public order on Wednesday 9 March, Justice Philip Nyamu Waki, instructed the police to immediately arrest him. Assistant Inspector General of Police Mustapha Kamara told Politico that the convicted war criminal was arrested in Bo, south of the country, without any resistance, exactly one year after he had been conditionally released from a Rwandan prison.
Fofana was serving the rest of his 15-year jail term in Bo after he had been convicted on four counts of war crimes committed during the civil war in Sierra Leone. The conditions of his released included that he must reside in Bo, stay out of local politics and desist from threatening witnesses who had testified against him during the trial.
Lawyer Nicol-Wilson told Politico that the specific allegation was that: “he breached the condition of his release which stipulates that he must not participate in political activities by attending the APC youth league political meeting in Makeni in October last year.”
If convicted he could be sent back to jail to serve out his remaining term which ends in May 2018.
(C) Politico 15/03/16
