By Mamajah Jalloh
Magistrate Santigie Bangura of Pademba Road Court No. 2 has ordered senior police officers to visit Choitram Hospital at Hill Station to confirm if former Minister of Finance, Patricia Laverley, is indeed admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Laverley faces two charges: inflicting grievous bodily harm contrary to Section 20 of the Offense Against the Person Act of 1861 and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The allegations stem from an incident on November 12, 2024, at State House, Freetown, where she is accused of assaulting Nabella Farida Tunis with intent to inflict serious injury.
The court order followed a contentious session during which State Counsel Yusuf Isaac Sesay contested the authenticity of a medical report presented by the defense, claiming it was fabricated to mislead the court. The report, produced by Defense Counsel M. Yillah, indicated that Laverley is currently hospitalized and on oxygen support.
Sesay argued that the medical document was an “afterthought” and suggested that the defense was deceiving the court. He urged the magistrate to issue a bench warrant for Laverley’s arrest and called for the detention of her sureties, accusing them of complicity in presenting an allegedly invalid document.
In response, Defense Counsel Ibrahim Yillah stated that the report was genuine, bearing a hospital stamp and signature after objections rose earlier. Yillah emphasized that his client was gravely ill and within the court’s jurisdiction. He presented photos and videos as additional evidence to corroborate the hospitalization claim.
Magistrate Bangura, however, expressed scepticism, noting irregularities in the medical document, including a stamp placed over a photocopied version. He criticized the defense for not treating the matter with sufficient seriousness.
Despite Yillah’s assurances that the defense was acting in good faith, Magistrate Bangura rejected the defense’s application to maintain bail conditions and warned of potential consequences if the hospitalization claim proved false.
The court ordered two senior police officers to accompany the defense team to verify Laverley’s hospitalization status. If the former minister is not found at the hospital, she is to be arrested and brought to court.
The matter was adjourned to Wednesday, November 27, 2024, for further hearing.
