By Henry Kargbo
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Informational Corporation, Dr. Alie Kabba, who was later, appointed as Ambassador to Sierra Leone Permanent Mission at the United Nations in Manhattan New York, last Friday 14th October 2022 made his first appearance at the Anti-Corruption Commission Court No1, presided over by Hon Justice Adrian Fisher.
Dr Kabba, the Eighteenth Prosecution Witness (PW18), in the continuing ACC Chancery Building fraud trial, is the star witness in the New York Chancery building matter. He is before the court with other accused for alleged misappropriation of US$4.6M meant for the renovation and reconstruction of the country’s chancery building in New York. Dr Kabba in his testimony told the bench that he knows the accused in dock but had no working relation with them.
Led in evidence by the ACC Lead Prosecutor, Calvin T. Matsebo, Dr Kabba informed the court that he arrived in New York in August 2019. He recalled that he only recognized Judie Sanders as the site contractor for the Chancery building, adding that he also knows Dr. Kandeh Basie Kamara as the financier of the project.
The PW18 said when he arrived at the mission in New York, as an Ambassador and Sierra Leone Permanent Representative to the UN, he was paid attention to the Chancery building project. Dr Kabba explained that he met the former head of mission in New York in 2019 in connection with the Chancery building project. He said the mission had a Deputy Head of Mission, Ambassador and Permanent Representative for Legal, and Political Affairs as well as diplomatic staff, with the exception of the Head of Chancery, Saidu Nallo, who were in attendance at a meeting.
Dr Kabba said he asked about the status of the Chancery building project at one of the meetings and was informed by the HOC, Nallo, the first accused, that financial challenges were stalling the completion of the building. He said the completed project was expected to be officially presented to President Julius Maada Bio in September 2019, noting that based on a Memo he receive from the contractor that the neighbour contacted the then Minister of Finance, Jacob Jusu Saffa in 2018 and pleaded with him to provided $500,000 for the project to avoid a national embarrassment.
Dr Kabba said he consistently made sure that funds were available for the project, pointing out that he was disappointed to note that funds sent to New York for the project could not be utilized for the intended purpose.
He added that it was clear that there was no way the building project could be made available for presentation to President Bio for commissioning as he met unfinished walls.
Dr Kabba said he called a meeting with the contractor but they asked for more money. He reflected on a moment when he was introduced to an architect lady though he later discovered that she was an interior designer with no license to practice architecture in New York.
He said the contractor, 6th accused and his wife were running the refurbishment and reconstruction project of the Chancery building, and the wife was the financial administrator, adding that he later noticed that the contractor lack capacity and looked like a corn man. The matter was adjourned to Monday 17th October 2022 for further hearing.
