By Henry Kargbo
Sierra Leone‘s Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr. Alie Kabba has yesterday Monday 24th October 2022 revealed in court that his predecessor, the forth accused who was the All People’s Congress 2018 presidential candidate, Dr Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara had no dealing with financial matters.Dr Kabba who is the Eighteenth Prosecuting Witness (PW18) made the revelations during cross examinations by lawyer Pa Momoh Forfanah, in the matter involving the state versus Dr. Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara and four others, on alleged embezzlements of public funds meant for the refurbishment and reconstruction of Sierra Leone Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Chancery building in New York, at the High Court No 1 presided over by Hon Justice Adrian Fisher.
Dr. Kabba told the court that he has a video clips of the said Chancery building which was played in court which the ACC lawyer C. Matesbo said the side video was taken by Dr Kabba when he visited the building in New York.
The PW18 narrated that he recorded the visit, using his cell phone to do the coverage and the phone has since been with him.
He explained that he also shared the video with his Deputy, the commission the man in the video was Jules Sander Davis, the contractor.
He recalled that in 2021 he inspected the building and noticed that after nine months without the contractor doing any work on the project, adding that he did not know how the building project was going on during the past government, and did not know what transpired to the building during the past government.
He added after President Bio was sworn in he was the substantive Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Corporation, and a Memo was presented to him from New York by the then Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he said that the Memo informed him that the contractor was threatening to take the mission to court for lack of payment and that was the first time he knew about the project. He recalled that he made a strong case to president Bio and the then Minister of Finance, Jacob Jusu Saffa in which he told them that government comes and go and so they should save the image of the country so that they won’t sue the country to court.
Dr Kabba informed the court that former Finance Minister Jacob Jusu Saffa then gave him $ 500,000 for the project and that was the first time he handled the project. He said that the money was provided by the Government of Sierra Leone.
He said that $2M was disbursed for the project but it was paid in two installments, adding that he only received the payment of the first installment, which went to the third party for onward transmission to the New York base on requisition provided by New York.
The matter comes up again for further cross examinations.
