Judge Advocate Otto During
By Aminata Phidelia Allie
There were angry exchanges between prosecution and defence lawyers at the on-going court martial on Wednesday causing Judge Advocate Otto During to caution defence lawyer Ishmael Mammy and state prosecutor Gerald Soyei to "keep your emotions out of the matter".
Before cross examining the second Prosecution Witness, lawyer Mammy told the court thus: "I am not only here to cross examine today but to respond to my learned counsel’s every interruption because he is in the habit of interrupting and providing answers to witnesses".
Prosecutor Soyei countered by telling his colleague to "shut up and sit down".
During cross examination, lawyer Mammy told Prosecution Witness (PW2), Mamadu Borbor Jalloh that he was performing an illegal task by investigating his colleagues in disguise and that he was motivated to testify against the 7th accused, Private Gbessay Koroma because he had "a misunderstanding" with him for which he further vowed to "leave no stone unturned" in ensuring that calamity befell the7th accused.
Lawyer Mamie further put it to PW2 Jalloh that his statement to CID investigators at the Force Intelligence Security Unit Headquarters in Freetown "does not entirely correspond with his testimony to the court".
But the witness replied that it was his "duty" to investigate whatever he suspected was "out of place as a soldier in the army", and denied having any malice or misunderstanding with the accused. He said he stood by "all that I told the investigators and what I have also said here".
The trial was adjourned to May 16 with the Judge Advocate ruling that Defence lawyer Mammy should produce the legal authority to back his application that the witness's statement must be shown to him (the witness) in court.
The Judge Advocate reached that decision after upholding an objection by prosecuting lawyer Gerald Soyei regarding the legal authority supporting the defence lawyer's application.
The 14 soldiers were arrested in August last year at Teko Barracks in Makeni on mutiny allegations and they have been at the Pademba Road Prisons since.
They face an 8 counts bordering on mutiny. They deny all the allegations.
(C) Politico 15/05/14
