By Henry Kargbo
High Court Judge, Justice Adrian Fisher on Friday 7 October 2022 turned down rapper Alhaji Amadu Bah LAJ’s bail application made by defence lawyer Pa Momoh Fofanah.In his submission, Yusif Isaac Sesay made application for the amendment of an indictment that is seeking for an addition of one count, which is assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Lawyer Sesay said the court forms the basis for which the matter was before the court and shouldn’t cause injustice or embarrassment as cost on the accused.
He narrated that LAJ was arraigned on a number of charges at the preliminary investigations stage of the matter at the Magistrate court in Freetown.
Lawyer Sesay stated that the indictment was not barred in law but defective, adding that they had five witnesses or even more to the new amendment.
Lead Defense Counsel Pa Momoh Fofanah agreed that such a count was part of the initial indictment, but had problems with the prosecution making it an entire context.
In his statement, Justice Fisher said that the Prosecution was not wrong, so he granted that order of amendment.
Alhaji Amadu Bah, aka LAJ, has been in detention since his arrest by the police on 14 June 2022 and throughout his trial so far, he had comported himself, said defence lawyer.
Pa Momoh told the court that his client’s health condition was getting worse in detention.
After Lawyer Pa Momoh’s submission, Justice Fisher issued an order for the accused to be re-examined medically before Wednesday 12 October 2022 to make his medical record up-to-date from the one dated 5 July 2022.
Justice Fisher said that bail was to be determined at the next adjourned date of Friday 14 October 2022.
It would be recalled that on 16 August 2022, Magistrate Mark Ngegba of Freetown Pademba Road Court No 1 committed the matter – the State versus of Alhaji Amadu Bah – to the high court for trial based on the evidence which he said had been adduced by the prosecution at the preliminary investigation.
LAJ was charged on four counts of robbery with violence and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
