By Amara Thoronka
Sierra Leone high court judge, Justice Adrian Fisher yesterday placed opposition strongman Dr. Samura Matthew Wilson Kamara on a Two Billion Leones (about 178,000 United States Dollars) bail on his first appearance in court to answer to alleged corruption offences.
Dr. Samura Kamara was the 2018 presidential candidate of the then ruling and now main opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) party and was also, at different periods of the APC regime, former Minister of Foreign Affairs (2013-2017); Minister of Finance (2009-2013); Governor of the Bank of Sierra Leone (2007-2009).
It could be recalled that on 23 November 2021 the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) released a statement stating that Dr. Kamara and others are to be prosecuted for corruption offences. Part of the release reads:
“Dr Samura Kamara is charged with one count of deceiving a principal (the state) and on one count of misappropriation of public funds amounting to Two Million, Five Hundred and Sixty Thousand United States Dollars (2,560,000) meant for the reconstruction for the Sierra Leone Chancery Building in New York.”
According to the particulars of offence, Dr. Kamara in his then capacity as Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation allegedly deceived the Government of Sierra Leone by presenting a cabinet paper document that he knew contained a misleading statement. The statement in question reads: “The Companies undertaking the renovation or constructions are reliable and were subjected to a rigorous vetting process.”
Following the bail applications made on behalf of the accused persons, Hon. Justice Fisher admitted the accused persons to bail in the sum of Two Billion Leones and two sureties each which must be property owners in the Western Area with one of such properties in each case valued at least One Billion Leones.
The bail condition further required that each property must be registered in the name of the surety in the office of the Administrator and Registrar General and must be free from all encumbrances. Each surety must surrender the originals of all title deeds to the office of the Master and Registrar and must produce a valuation certificate confirming the valuation of the properties to be used, which must be dated within the past three months.
Justice Fisher ordered each accused person to surrender all travelling documents to the office of the Master and Registrar, forthwith as well as not to conduct any interviews with the press or comment publicly on proceedings until the end of the trial.
He used the occasion to admonish the press and members of the public to only report accurately what obtains in court in terms of the evidence given in the proceedings in general and nothing else.
“Any reporting calculated to interfere with the course of this trial would be treated as contempt of this court for which there would be penalties,” Justice Fisher warned.
Other accused persons include Saidu Nallo (1st accused), Adikali Foday Suma (2nd accused) Foday Vahfomba Bawoh (3rd accused), Dr. Kandeh Foday Basil Kamara (5th accused) and Jules Sanders Davies (6th accused). They were also put individually on a Two Billion Leones bail. Three of the accused persons fulfilled their bail conditions with the exception of 3rd accused, Foday Vahfomba Bawoh, who has been sent to the Male Correctional Centre.
1st accused (Nallo) faces 30 Counts, 2nd accused (Suma) 4 Counts, 3rd accused (Bawoh) 20 Counts, 4th accused (Samura Kamara) 2 counts, 5th accused (Dr. Kandeh F.B. Kamara) 16 Counts, and 4 Counts for 6th accused (Davies). They all denied the allegations.
Dr. Kandeh Foday Basil Kamara (5th accused) and Jules Sanders Davies (6th accused) were not in court because they are currently out of the country.
The indictments range from misappropriation of public funds, conspiracy to commit a corruption offence, abuse of office and other corruption-related offences contrary to the Anti-Corruption Act No. 12 of 2008 as amended by the Anti-Corruption Amendment Act, No. 9 of 2019).
The matter was adjourned to 5th of January 2022.
