By Aminata Phidelia Allie
Defense lawyers in the ongoing trial of 17 people indicted by the Anti-Corruption Commission have expressed grave concern and indignation over the persistent refusal by judges in the matter to grant their clients bail. Their grumbling followed the decision of the vacation High Court judge to again not grant the accused persons bail on Wednesday, August 7, on the grounds that some people wanted in the matter were still at large and “the court needs time to study the content of the matter”
The lawyers, who were unanimous in court in their disapproval, observed that this was the first time a corruption offence matter in which the prosecution was keen on objecting to bail applications.
They said that the accused persons had already spent over a month on remand “for an offence that usually carries a fine or a jail term in default of [payment of the said fine]”.
The accused persons were originally before Justice M. A. Paul of the Freetown High Court but appeared last week before the High Court vacation judge, Babatunde Edwards, as justice Paul is currently on vacation.
The 17 were indicted by the ACC in June this year on 18 counts of corruption-related offences.
(C) Politico 13/08/13
