By Mohamed Foday Conteh
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) investigator, Brima Sesay has testified in the matter involving former Minister of Youth, Alimamy Kamara at the ACC court in Freetown.
Sesay said he was on the 26th July 2021 part of a team of investigators that questioned the former minister on allegation that he failed to declare his asset in his 9 years as public servant.
Kamara who also served as ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Iran and Member of Parliament was indicted on 9 counts of corruption offences. The ACC is alleging that the former minister failed to declare his assets, income and liabilities contrary to Section 122 (a) of the ACC Act No. 9 of 2019.
The ACC said he was investigated from the year 2008 to 2018 –a period in which he served as public servant under the then administration of President Erbnest Bai Koroma.
Sesay said that the investigation of the former minister started sometime in October 2020 when the matter was assigned to him at his Mena Street Office in Makeni. He said that a notice was sent to Kamara with regards the allegation. He added that it was in January 2021 that the then suspect came to their office to assist with the investigations. He told the court his co-investigator, Ishmael Sheriff questioned him. He said that Kamara however held himself by relaying to them that he was appealing the matter at the Court of Appeal in Freetown.
Sesay being led by ACC Counsel Umar Sesay further testified that the former minister did not show any proof that the same matter was on appeal at the appeal court.
During cross-examination by defence counsel, Africanus Sesay, the investigator said that he had been an investigator for 3 years and that he was a policy analyst before that. The lead defence counsel then referred the investigator to the charge sheet by the ACC which indicated that Kamara was investigated for 5 years, and not 9 years.
The defence then shifted to section 119 of the ACC Act that was used for the charges and said that the minister was never shown a gazette that indicated that he failed to declare his asset as required by the same section. The witness acceded to the defence that the accused was not shown a gazette. He also confirmed in court that the ACC did not do a follow-up on the court’s registry to ascertain as to whether he was indeed appealing the same matter at the Appeal’s Court. Lawyer Sesay said had the former minister been lying, he would have been charged with perjury.
ACC Counsel, Joel Deen-Tarawally raised a couple of objections with regards the line of questioning by the defence. He said that the witness is an investigator and not a legal practitioner. Justice Hannah Bonnie, however, overruled the objections citing that the defence is questioning within the boundaries of the investigator. She also added that cross-examination is broad.
Justice Bonnie adjourned the matter to the 2nd August 2021 pending witnesses from the ACC.
Copyright © 2021 Politico Online (29/07/21)
