Sierra Leone Telegraph: 13 August 2016
There was more drama at the High Court in Freetown on Thursday, as the credibility of the government’s main witness – Lands Minister Diana Konomanyi, in its bigamy case against opposition leader – Alie Kabba, takes another tumble.
For the first time in this politically motivated court room drama, Alie Kabba’s lawyers have produced the knockout evidence, showing that Alie Kabba had been declared divorced by a court in America, before marrying Diana Konomanyi.
The ‘kiss and tell’ minister appeared shell-shocked, when this vital evidence was revealed in court. Many now believe that, this marks the prelude to the closing of a political ‘red curtain’ on a matrimonial case that ought not to have got this far.
Court room reporter – James Sesay is in no doubt that this second round of cross examination of Diana Konomanyi by defense lawyer Francis Ben Kaifala, has laid the foundation for the clearing of Alie Kabba of the trumped up bigamy charge.
By the end of Thursday’s proceedings, lawyer Kaifala was able to point out to the packed court room that Diana Konomanyi did not come to court with ‘clean hands’, as she herself had been married at least twice before, and had failed to disclose this to the authorities or to Alie Kabba, before they got married. Diana was shown the original marriage certificate stating that she got married to Stephen Jusu in 1989.
Lawyer Kaifala also showed that Diana Konomanyi has committed several perjury related offences, when she lied on oath that she had never been married before, and making false declaration to the Registrar-General before marrying Kabba.
Diana confirmed this when the records were shown to her. Bigamy offence carries seven years imprisonment.
Diana Konomanyi did not have knowledge of the fact that the Will County Court in the USA had orally dissolved Alie’s marriage to his first wife, and this was on record. She said she was surprised to find this out in court, when lawyer Kaifala gave her the document to read out loud.
It was also proven that Diana lied to the public, when she declared in a live interview on radio 98.1 in 2015, that her marriage to Kabba lasted for only one month, after changing her statement in court last Thursday.
It is now clear that Diana had not seen the Will County Court Records showing that Alie Kabba was already divorced from her previous wife, when she made false allegation to the police in Freetown that led to his arrest and charges of bigamy brought against him.
Diana was asked whether she received legal advice about US divorce laws, before making her allegations of bigamy to the police. She said she did not consult a lawyer.
In reply, lawyer Kaifala said that had she sought legal advice, she would not have gone to the police with her allegations.
The case was adjourned by Justice Miatta Samba to Thursday, 18th August 2015, when prosecuting lawyers are expected to conclude proceedings.
Oh Daniel, come to judgment? What a drama.
I always believe that good will triumphant over evil. Let wait and see. Amanda ga way tu.
The Road is long, and it is hard!
But the road to national redemption has never been smooth or milky!
The collective promise that keeps flickering in that “shinny light at the top of the hill” is a beckoning brightness that is worth the bravery and deserves the brains of the best of our nation!
No thorns or twists will tear us from the truth contained in the VISION that rules this mission!
This is educative for our public, all politics aside. This is just telling us that hate is a big loss to society. Our country is where it is today, because we are all only good at limiting our fellow citizens. May Allah help our country.
Francis Kpaka,
Which Sierra Leoneans need to give Mr. Alie Kabba a chance to showcase his vision for the people he wants to lead when he is an American citizen currently in possession of that country’s passport? Please come back to your God-given senses, think correctly and don’t be a participant with those who are interested in mortgaging Sierra Leone for a dish of unpalatable ‘cocoa yebeh.’ Stop that!
Yes, politics should not be part of the Justice System of Sierra Leone. It must be independent and a separate arm of government. But, what can members of our corrupted judiciary do when they are hired and fired by the Executive Branch i.e. The President, without any parliamentary consultation or approval?
We need to review and amend again our constitution in order to completely separate these three branches of government- Executive, Legislature and Judiciary. Amen.
Ms Diana Finda Konomanyi,
If you are interested in a straight or heterosexual relationship, I ask that you please go back and reconcile with Mr. Stephen Jusu Bockarie, who was your former husband. That is the right thing to do in this situation. And annul or void your association with Mr. Alie Kabba. Otherwise, stay unmarried for the rest of your life. Amen.
I know you are aware that according to the Law of the Land of Sierra Leone:
“Bigamy is a serious crime punishable by jail terms of 5 years for the bride if found guilty; and 7 years for the groom if found guilty.”
Please don’t get yourself engaged in making and offering demonic sacrifices for no good at all. Just my own piece of advise to you.
Is the face of our justice system about to change for the better? This is a landmark case, considering the parties involved. I have always trusted Alie Kabba on this issue; his academic acumen, his political philosophy and principles of life do contradict what he was taken to court for.
In my opinion, Lady Diana did not do her homework before pursuing this case. She has allowed politically motivated individuals within the corridors of the APC to twist her brain. As an individual, Diana is a fine person with very good human relations. But as a minister in the current government, she has allowed others to use her anger to bring down Kabba.
The APC for a very long time has been trying to nail down Alie, because he has been under their skin since he was a teenager. They took this as the perfect opportunity to finally nail him down for good. This man Alie is a political giant whose mind is made up to go all the way in defending and providing a better and decent living for the people of our country.
Sierra Leoneans need to give him a chance to showcase his vision for the people he wants to lead. Politics should never be part of the justice system and every human being should be given the chance to defend themselves or be defended.