Sierra Leone Telegraph: 24 October 2020:
The prosecution is now stalled in the trial of Abu Bakarr Daramy and Herbert George – Williams, after the two eye witnesses who were present at the scene of crime (Lumley round about in Freetown) on the 31st of March 2018, when the late Ibrahim Samura is alleged to have been assaulted by the accused persons said in court that the deceased was hit on his head with a bat by a police officer and not by the accused persons.
Responding to question by Melron Nicol – Wilson during cross examination last Tuesday, Thomas Dixon said that he knows the police officer that assaulted his friend and newspaper partner, and if seen, he can identify him.
He was asked by Nicol – Wilson to look around the court and see if that police Officer is around. Thomas Dixon looked around the court room and confirmed he could not see the police officer.
Mahmoud Tim Kargbo another reputable journalist and friend of the deceased, under cross examination from Nicol – Wilson also said that both accused persons never had any contact with the deceased on the day he was assaulted, even though they were present at the scene together with hundreds of other people including journalists as it was Election Day . He said the accused never had any altercation with the deceased and were on the opposite side of the road.
After the testimony of the two EU witnesses, the prosecution appeared embarrassed that they have not been able to proceed with the matter once again.
For the last one month the state prosecutor Umu Sumaray merely comes to court and ask for an adjournment, saying she is unable to get her other witnesses.
Last Tuesday, 20th October 2020, the judge once again adjourned the matter to November 5. Previously he had adjourned for two weeks to yesterday, since no witness was available.
For how long can this charade and ‘extra-judicial’ punishment continue?
It is now clear that innocent men – Abu Bakarr Daramy and Herbert George–Williams, were kept in prison for almost one year for a crime they did not commit.
Instead of the state dropping the case, they continue to drag it with adjournments, thus wasting the court’s time and resources on a mistrial.
Justice in Sierra Leone is fast becoming a joke, if not for the suffering of hundreds of people experiencing serious miscarriage of justice at the hands of the courts.
It is now time for Attorney General – Brewah (Photo) to take a closer look at the justice system, especially those cases that involve politically exposed individuals in the country, where it seems retributive justice, vendetta and abuse of State power against political opponents, continue to grow with impunity.
It is time also for the Attorney General to call a halt to the murder trial against the former Mayor Herbert George-Williams and Mr. Abu Bakarr Daramy, due to lack of evidence.
Now this: ” For the last one month the State Prosecutor Umu Sumaray merely comes to court and ask for an adjournment, saying, she is unable to get her other witnesses.”(lol) Half-baked, shoddy, tawdry government prosecutors unable to cope and shift for themselves, getting paid generously like the rest of the SLPP Cabal for doing absolutely nothing.
I totally agree – its about damn time the case against these two distinguished gentlemen is dropped, and government must make amends by rendering them a public apology for the gross incompetence they have displayed, and not end there, but go further by awarding adequate financial compensation to Mr Williams and Mr Daramy for the disgrace and inconveniences they have wrongfully suffered at the hands of these SLPP GESTAPOS. Gentlemen we give thanks you are both still alive – It is well!
Once again we see another case of mistaken identity. It appears as if Mr Daramy and Mr Williams, were in the wrong place at the wrong time. But the judiciary having been corrupt themselves, they will plough on anyway. A murder was committed, but even the so-called state eyewitness appear to be suffering from memory loss. It is not beyond the rhyme of possibility, but this state witness remains highly suspect. Bottom line a man was killed under dubious circumstances. Now in the interest of justice for his family and those accused of his murder, it is the responsibility of the state to prove beyond reasonable doubt as to who committed the murder and how the deceased came to meet his death.
So far that threshold hasn’t been met. And this goes to the heart of why we Sierra Leoneans have lost faith in our justice system, and the way it is dispensed. We are becoming the laughing stock of the world. If the state cannot prove the guilt of these two individuals, they should set them free, but still leave the case open for fresh investigations. Go back to the drawing board with fresh pair of eyes under a different team of investigators. Maybe putting out an anonymous telephone number appealing for real eyewitness to come forward will help. Someone somewhere knows the killer or killers. It could be a family member or a friend. Of course with a reward. Justice delayed is justice denied. This charade needs to stop.
“For how long can this charade and ‘extra-judicial’ punishment continue? It is now clear that innocent men – Abu Bakarr Daramy and Herbert George–Williams, were kept in prison for almost one year for a crime they did not commit.”-Sierra Leone Telegraph.
Wow opinion opinion! It is evident from judicial history that cases are lost or won in court not because the defendants did not commit the crime or did commit the crimes. Cases are lost or won based on several factors including poor investigation, corruption of judicial officials and witnesses. In this case, the latter is the cause of why the late Ibrahim Samura will never get Justice. The accused were identified and named by the victim. His statement at the police was corroborated by the key Witnesses. The accused took action to beg the victim to withdraw the case of assault against them. At no point did anyone including the victim say he was assaulted by the police. Rather he positively identified the accused. Few months after withdrawing his report from the police, Ibrahim Samura died from the internal wounds he had sustained from the assault inflicted on him by the accused. The pathologist after his post-mortem concluded that Ibrahim’s death was homicide which resulted from blunt force he had sustained some few months ago.
Now Ibrahim is gone. Those he considered his friends and who were eye witnesses are the only ones left to ensure that he gets justice. Whatever had happened behind the scenes is anyone’s guess. All we know now is that two and half years after the incident, the two eye Witnesses now remember that the statement that they gave to the police while Ibrahim Samura was alive was wrong. They now identify the real assaulters, even with the passage of time. Unfortunately, statement made to the police in Sierra Leone is not made under oath and so no one can be held for perjury.
Continue to Rest In Peace. As a family, we know what has happened. Justice has been traded. It is therefore insulting to us as a family to read opinion impugning your statement to the police about your assaulters turned murderers as a charade and extra-judicial punishment.