As state prosecution slams fresh charges on charismatic presidential aspirant...ADP Kamaraimba to spend Pray Day in Kenema Prison
By Abdul Malik Bangura
Jun 22, 2017, 17:16 |
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The charismatic Presidential Aspirant of the opposition Alliance Democratic Party (ADP) Mohamed Kamaraimba Mansaray will eventually spend the Islamic religious festival of Eid al-Fitr (Pray Day) at a prison in the Eastern Provincial headquarters city of Kenema. Eid al- Fitr festival marks the end on the Holy Month of Ramadan and it is scheduled to take place either Sunday 25th June or Monday 26th June, 2017.
This follows decision yesterday Wednesday 21st June, 2017, by magistrate of Kailahun district, Magistrate George Bobor Samai to remand the ADP Presidential on fresh court charges of Possession of Small Arm without license to wit a stun gun, as brought forward against Mohamed Kamaraimba Mansaray by State Counsel, Umu Sumaray Esq.
During the hearing, the State Counsel submitted that she was not willing to continue with initial charges levied against the ADP Presidential aspirant by Police Prosecutor.
Meanwhile, it could be recalled that the decision of the State Counsel to drop initial charges by the Police Prosecutor against Kamaraimba comes nearly two weeks since he was granted bail by the same magistrate court on three (3) count charges of unlawful possession of a stun gun, unlawful possession of stun gun without license and lastly, carrying unlawful weapon in public.
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| Charismatic Presidential Aspirant of ADP Mohamed Kamaraimba Mansaray taken to Kenema Prison again |
During yesterday’s hearing, State Counsel submitted that she was bringing a fresh charge against the ADP Leader for which being in possession of small arm without license contrary to the Small Arms Act, whilst at the same time she was bringing three (3) count charges of Malicious Damage contrary to the Malicious Damage Act Section 51 of 1861 and Wounding contrary to Section 20 of 1861 Malicious Damage Act and being in possession of small arm without license contrary to the Small Arms Act, against another ADP supporter called Mohamed Bangura.
Therefore, the magistrate gave the state counsel the chance to proceed with her new charges.
However, the Defense team, lead by Lawyer Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai said the State counsel could not bring fresh charges against the ADP Presidential Aspirant in a matter that was at the times being seated on in court. He said, that was a violation of the constitutional rights of Mohamed Kamaraimba Mansaray. Lawyer Abdulai cited Section 23 subsection 5 paragraph(a) of Sierra Leone 1991 Constitution. The section says “Every person who is charged with a criminal offence shall be informed at the time he is charged in the language which he understands and in detail, of the nature of the offence charged.”
Against this backdrop, Lawyer Abdulai furthered that the decision of the State Counsel to bring in fresh charges against Mohamed Kamaraimba Mansaray without prior notification was an abuse to the entire process of the court and a violation of the 1991 constitution of Sierra Leone. Therefore, he said because the constitutional right of Kamaraimba has been violated, the magistrate cannot seat on the case, but that the case could be seated in the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone.
At that point of the hearing, a serious argument erupted between the magistrate and the defense team over the competence of the Magistrate to continue hearing on the case. Magistrate George Bobor Samai then adjourned the case to Wednesday 28th June, 2017. Without any bail application from the defense team, Mohamed Kamaraimba Mansaray and Mohamed Bangura were remanded at the Kenema City Prison until the next hearing date.
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Newspaper in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
