By Aminata Phidelia Allie
Presiding magistrate of Court No. 2 in Freetown, who says his duty is to protect society, yesterday sounded livid while discouraging criminals from perpetuating themselves on society.
He was reacting to statements made by a defense lawyer, Emmanuel Teddy Koroma, whiles making a bail application in an alleged robbery with aggravation matter on 28 August.
He stood in for three accused persons alleged to have conspired to rob with aggravation one Sajah Alieu Bah in eastern Freetown on Friday 16 August this year.
According to the defense, the accused should be granted bail “because they were ordinary school pupils who were arrested in broad day light”. He further claimed that they just happened to be friends of “those suspected to have robbed the complainant”.
But police prosecutor Sergeant Fatmata Bangura objected to the application, pointing out that the accused were in fact members of a “dangerous clique” in the eastern area of Freetown. She observed that the claim that the accused persons’ claims of being pupils was “totally out of the picture as they all were far past twenty years”.
The magistrate, in his ruling to the bail application, said that “I care less about whether they are pupils or graduates. As long as you are part of any clique that goes about disturbing innocent people, whether at night or day time, you will never be granted bail in my court”.
He observed that cliques were dangerous associations and as such, “school children should stay as far away from them as possible”. He refused the accused bail and adjourned the matter to Monday September 2.
However, many people, especially those in the media who happened to be inside the courtroom on Tuesday August 27, kept wondering as to why the fraud cases involving Sierra Leone Commercial Bank and the FiBank have not made any serious progress.
When the matter was called upthe director of public prosecution, Sulaiman Bah,brought in a formal instead of a factual witness.
The witness, who identified himself as detective police constable 13858, Roberts Kemokai, testified that they interviewed and obtained statements from the fourth accused, Festus Abionor Jones.
At the end of his testimonydefense for the fourth accused, said he needed time to go through his client’s statement which he described as “voluminous”.
Both cases were adjourned to Friday 3o August for the lawyer to cross examine the witness.
(C) Politico 29/08/13
