Afsatu trail – defence starts case!
In the ongoing trial of the former Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Haja Afsatu Kabba, the defense team yesterday started its case after the prosecution closed its case last Wednesday, before justice Samuel Ademusu.
After the last ACC witness ended its testimony, the lead defense counsel, JB Jenkins Johnston asked the court for a date so that the defense will consider its option which Justice Samuel Ademusu granted and the matter was adjourned for the day, 9th July 2010.
The last witness for the prosecution was the investigator of ACC, Frankly Campbell who was not a protected witness and according to him he joined the Commission in 2006. He said some of his official duties include investigating cases of alleged corruption, in charge of case files, execute search warrants, arrest persons suspected of committing act of corruption and also giving evidence in court.
He told the court that the case file on the accused was assigned to him for investigation in September 2009 which was when he came in contact with the accused person.
He further told the court that he knew something about the allegation during the course of his investigation of which the accused was the main suspect, as it was discovered that the sum of Le 310 million was withdrawn from the monetary and control account of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources account lodged at the Bank of Sierra Leone.
Testifying further, Mr. Campbell said the accused person had abused her office through the improper employment of one of her sons and two others during her tenure as Minister of Energy and Power and then as Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources.
According to the witness, the accused was invited to attend an interview at the ACC but did not cooperate. She was invited for the second time to give her own side of the story; again the accused did not turn up although he, the witness, did interview several people in respect of the said matter the name of Oya Sankoh never came up in his investigation.
Under cross-examination Lawyer Yada Williams, Mr. Campbell told the court that he did not come across any document that was signed by the accused in the sum of Le 310 million for the withdrawal of the said money at the Bank of Sierra Leone in October 2009.
The matter was adjourned for the defense to open its case. Â
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