By Alusine Fullah
In the ongoing preliminary treason case at Magistrate Court No.2, former president Ernest Bai Koroma did not appear in court today 17th January 2024. Magistrate Santigie Bangura asked for the whereabouts of the former president who faces treason charges.
Responding to Magistrate Bangura, Lawyer Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara, head of Koroma’s defence team, said: “My lord, my client is absent on medical grounds,” while submitting his client’s (Ernest Bai Koroma’s) medical report.
After several observations and consideration of the said medical report, the prosecution counsel scanned and endorsed it, but noted that the defence counsel should not use the medical report as a canopy to escape from the allegations in question.
Defending the former president, Lawyer Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara said there are two sureties to the effect and that his client will never take short action of escaping the course of justice. The two sureties provided by the defence are Hon. Minkalu Mansaray [national chairperson of the APC party] and Amb. Alhaji Osman Foday Yansanneh [national deputy chairperson of the APC party].
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mohamed Lamin Tarawalley, said that the defence counsel, the media and the general public should be mindful of making statements, especially on social media, bordering on the substance of the case before the court.
Magistrate Santigie Bangura warned the public, especially the media and lawyers, to be highly courteous about contempt of court.
Former President Ernest Bai Koroma was charged with four counts bordering on his alleged role in last November’s coup attempt. According to Sierra Leone’s penal code, a person found guilty of treason could face life imprisonment.
The treason case of former president Ernest Bai Koroma was adjourned to 6th March, 2024.
