Samuel Emmanuel Lewis, Chief Engineer and Project Manager for the Waterloo Township Roads appeared before Justice Biobele Georgewill on Thursday 21 March 2019, at the Commission of Inquiry, former Special Court compound in Freetown. During the cross-examination of Lewis by lead State counsel Mewa, Lewis disclosed that he was in charge of the Waterloo Township Project. He said the highly competitive bidding for the construction of 12.1 kilometres of road was won by Gento Villa. He added that the project was in progress when he got directives from the then Deputy Director General of the Sierra Leone Roads Authority, Memuna Kumba Jalloh, for an addendum of 20 kilometres. The initial cost of the 12.1 kilometers of road was $16.9 million USD, but because of the addendum, the contract jumped to $42.7 million USD. When asked whether the addendum was done through a competitive bidding process just as the first one, Lewis said to the best of his knowledge the right procedure was not followed. “Road Maintenance Fund made payments for the additional 20 kilometres of road, unknown to the Sierra Leone Roads Authority,” Lewis revealed. Defense lawyer A. Amadu representing the former Minister of Finance, has asked for an adjournment prior to cross-examination. He said the documents that were being tendered in respect of the additional 20 kilometres of road are many. He said he therefore needs to have a proper conference before he can prepare a strong defense for his client. Justice Biobele overruled his objection and ruled that they continue. Defense lawyer for the former Director General, Sierra Leone Roads Authority, Abdul Aziz Kamara, M.Y. Kanu, argued that the letter for the addendum of the Waterloo Township project was signed by the then Deputy Director General, Memuna Kumba Jalloh.
SKS/21/3/19
By Sulaiman Karim Sesay
Friday March 22, 2019.