By Aminata Phidelia Allie
Fugitive former worker of the National Revenue Authority, wanted by the Anti-Corruption Commission for alleged conspiracy to defraud the state, made her first appearance in court yesterday.
Elizabeth King, 33, a former revenue officer, indicted alongside sixteen others in the on-going NRA/Ecobank fraud case and who had been on the run for the past three months, was arrested in The Gambia by the international police, INTERPOL.
She faces a two-count charge of conspiracy to defraud the state of over Le 392 million and of misappropriating public funds to the tune of Le 45million.
Making a bail application on behalf of the accused, defense lawyer Augustine Kailie Musa,said that he was not ignorant of the fact that his client had been out of the jurisdiction but argued that that was “owing to ill health which made her travel unannounced”.
“Now that she is back in the country she will cooperate and be here at every adjourned date”, Kailie assured, adding that the offences were mere allegations and emphasising the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
But the state prosecutor, Ade Macauley,objected to the application. He said that given the past record of the accused it was obvious that “she is a manifest flight risk”. He told the court that the accused was facing a separate trial in the Freetown High Court presided over by Justice M. A. Paul.
The prosecution also pointed out that the accused could not be located at her workplace or residence, the reason for which in June she was declared wanted by the ACC.
“The same notice was on radio stations with nationwide coverage and even on the public broadcaster, SLBC, but she was nowhere to be found”, Macauley said, adding that INTERPOL had to locate and arrest her in The Gambia for subsequent transfer to Sierra Leone.
“From this, it is clear that she is a flight risk. Having run away the first time, it is likely that she may do so again if released”, he observed.
When asked by the judge whether or not she had an idea about investigations involving her, King said she didn’t know, explaining that she had an urgent need for medical attention which was why she had to travel without informing her office.
She said she could not remember the name of the hospital where she was treated, the names of doctors or nurses or the kind of sickness. Justice Paul said the accused was being dishonest. “You are lying through your teeth that you are suffering from memory loss because you can’t remember anything”, he told the accused, adding that it was not as if she came back voluntarily but she was bundled back home.
He ruled that the accused was not qualified for a favourable exercise of his discretion, and said it was hard for a sensitive court to ignore the circumstances surrounding her being before the court.
The accused was remanded and the matter adjourned to 11, 12, 13 and 14 November for further trial.
(C) Politico 24/10/13
