By Aminata Phidelia Allie
Reliable sources in the judiciary have confirmed that the alleged rape case involving sacked deputy minister of education, Mahmoud Tarawallie, has been committed to the Freetown High Court for trial.
Magistrate Tonia Barnet on Friday committed the matter for trial in the High Court despite a no-case submission by lawyer Sulaiman Kabbah Koroma.
Tarawallie, who had been under preliminary investigations at the magistrates’ court No. 2 in Freetown on four counts of rape, wounding, wounding with intent and assault, was alleged to have raped a 24-year-old university student in September this year in return for an international scholarship to study in Ukraine.
Though the alleged victim had testified in open court that she was raped by the then minister who “tightly held my hands behind and forcefully had sex with me without a condom,” lawyers for the accused had insisted that whatever happened between their client and the student was consensual.
The accused made his seventh appearance in court on Monday 14 October and the matter was adjourned for the magistrate to either decide on sending it to the High Court for trial or to discharge it.
Meanwhile, when contacted state prosecutor Legal One, Mohamed Kamara, said he wasn’t fully aware of the details of the current state of the matter but confirmed it had been committed to the High Court.
© Politico 12/11/13
