Kudos Judiciary, Zero ACC…
High Court’s acquittal of Allieu Sesay (in photo), his wife and three others has left the Anti Corruption Commission without option but pretends launching an appeal; unwitting and a wasteful spending of public’s fund.
The plan to appeal was disclosed by the Anti Corruption Commissioner, Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara, shortly after Allieu (the suspended National Revenue Authority Commissioner General), his wife and three others were relaxingly made to walk out of the High Court as free people.
Allieu, his wife and three others were indicted with 57 counts of corruption and other corruption related charges.
In his ruling, it was indicated that prosecutors of the ACC did not convince the court that persons charged have had a case to answer.
Hours after the High Court ruling, the ACC Commissioner was seen occupying the studios of the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Cooperation (SLBC) TV, condemning the decision of not, but an experience Judge, whose age in the legal profession is 40 or more years.
He was observed as condemning the decision of the High Court while at the same time insists climbing steps of the court of appeal challenging the ruling of an over experienced High Court Judge – junk meditation.
A legal practitioner who spoke to this press on grounds of anonymity said he was disappointed at some of the comments of the ACC boss, stating however that as a legal officer it is unprofessional to publicly (bogusly) criticize the decision of a court in such a manner.
“It is better to challenge the decision of the court than going against a clear and objective court ruling.”
“It is clear though that prosecutors of the ACC failed their exams,” he said, “according to the ruling, the accused including Allieu, were acquitted and discharged on grounds of lack of evidence. In the well of the court, there is nothing like winning but rather justice- period.”
It could be recalled that respectable public officials, time and again, have been dragged to the High Court for corruption and convicted unquestioned.
About 90% ushered in wells of High Courts on corruption indictment are convicted and made to pay fines or serve imprisonment for number of years.
A case in point is that of the former Minister of Fisheries and Marine resources, Madam Hadja Afsatu Kabba, whose corruption trial was flawed with serialized anomalies, irregularities and inconsistencies yet, ended up convicted and fined Le 300 million.
Nobody, not even a cleaner at ACC, says anything negating the credibility of the court at all.
So, it is glaring though that the ACC has this time lost a case and must be seen accepting court’s conclusion rather than making utterances that humiliates respectable High Court officials.
This brings to mind issues brought up by one legal practitioner that the court exists not for the sake of winning cases, but rather provide justice for all.
A school bursar in Makeni, in 2010, was marched into the well of Makeni High Court to answer to 65 counts of corruption charges. He was later found not guilty and made to walk our free.
His acquittal never raised eyebrows at all. Why? Well because he is not as big and forward looking as Allieu and others.
Again also, Allieu alongside his wife and three others were slammed with 57 count charges, but later found not guilty as charged.
Facts that hundreds of more million leones was spent on the Allieu and four others court matter.
That ACC’s wished-for petitioning of High Court’s ruling in the case between Allieu and four others Vs the State is fresh and wasteful spending of tax payers’ money.
Some schools of thought have it that prosecutors of the ACC have had ample time submitting evidences against Allieu and others but failed woefully.
It is a fact that the ACC Commissioner receives Le 48 million as take home salary every month.
Even though the current ACC Commissioner claimed he has worked for an international court (The Special Court of Sierra Leone), his performance as head of anti corruption in Sierra Leone, is without doubt, a disappointment to all.
In the understanding of what the court stands for, High Court’s recent ruling in the case between Allieu and others Vs the State is an indication that Sierra Leone judiciary is seemingly entering wells of equity.
That the court seeks for ‘justice’ not ‘winning’ as perceived by the disgraced ACC Commissioner.
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