By MohamedJ.bah@awokonewspaper.sl
Freetown, SIERRA LEONE – Former President of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma, and his Former Minister of Finance, Samura Kamara PhD, have faced a setback as their Commission of Inquiry (COI) applications were rejected by Justice Alhaji Momoh Jah Stevens, Justice Adrian Fisher, and Justice Ivan Sesay, the Presiding Judge.
President Julius Maada Bio initiated the Commission of Inquiry in 2018 to scrutinize the activities of past government officials. The COI focused on the eleven years of the All People’s Congress administration, from November 2007 to April 2018. The three Commissioners, Justice Biobele Georgewill (Nigeria), the late Justice Bankole Thomposn (Sierra Leone), and Justice William Annan Atuguba (Ghana), presented their findings and recommendations, implicating certain officials, including former President Koroma and some ministers.
Challenging the findings after the government’s White Paper was released, former officials, including President Koroma, sought redress at the Court of Appeal. Despite their appeals, the Court upheld the Commissioners’ decision concerning Former Presidents Koroma and Samura Kamara’s COI applications related to the Sewa Ground Market and the Sierra Rutile saga, respectively.
Consequently, the Court directed the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to investigate Former President Koroma for abuse of office and abuse of executive authority, particularly regarding the Sewa Ground Market Project with the National Social Security and Insurance Trust (NASSIT). Additionally, the former Minister of Finance, Samura Kamara PhD, is to be investigated concerning the Sierra Rutile Company dealings.
All four grounds of the COI Appeal by Former President Ernest Bai Koroma PhD were unsuccessful, leading to their dismissal. The Court ordered the Appellant (Former President) to pay a sum of one hundred and thirty-five thousand United States Dollars to the Government of Sierra Leone within seven days. Moreover, he is required to bear the cost of three hundred million old Leones. Samura Kamara is also directed to pay about seventy thousand dollars and bear a cost of Le250 million (old Leones).
Representing the Appellants were Lawyers Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara, Africanus Sorie Sesay, and Brima Koroma, while Abigail Suwu Kendor and two other counsels represented the State. The ruling marks a pivotal development in the ongoing legal proceedings related to the COI, underscoring the importance of accountability and transparency in governance. MJB/8/12/2023