Sidi Yayah Tunis, erstwhile Tourism Minister in former President Ernest Bai Koroma’s government has testified as second and final witness for the first accused, Rtd. Major Alfred Palo Conteh in the ongoing treason trial on Tuesday 23rd June 2020.
Tunis who told the court that he is currently the acting publicity secretary of the APC said he also served as Director of Strategic Communications while the first accused was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Ebola Response Center (NERC), and he was part of the team that was invited by President Julius Maada Bio to State House on 19th March 2020.
Tunis said he first received a call from his former boss, Palo (first accused) and other people who he also worked with at NERC on 16th March 2020 that the President had invited them for a meeting at State House but he was unable to make it for the meeting because he was informed late.
He furthered that on 17th March 2020 he attended a meeting at the Ministry of Health and Sanitation where they were asked to draft a strategy, and they were later invited to do a presentation of the said strategy of which he went there with Steve N’Gaojia.
Tunis said they went through all security protocols at State House and they were taken to the office of the State Chief of Protocol (SCOP) after which they were joined by the first accused after twenty to twenty-five minutes.
He added that while they were in the office chatting, a team of security officials entered including but not limited to the Head of Presidential Guard, Colonel Kposowa and Detective Superintendent Mohamed K. Alieu.
He said Colonel Kposowa told the first accused that they noticed that his brown bag contains a pistol, and the first accused responded that he is the owner and the first accused reached for the bag and took out his license which he said was confirmed to be valid by M. K. Alieu.
He mentioned that Colonel Kposowa informed them to proceed for the meeting but told the first accused that he would not be attending the meeting with the President and was taken to another room for a statement.
Tunis said Colonel Kposowa advised them that everything that happened in the SCOP’s office should not be said outside and that they would handle it professionally and let no one report same on social media.
He said after the meeting he briefed Palo about what happened in the meeting and Palo told him if it wasn’t like during the Ebola fight when they report to the President directly, he will step aside because he does not want to fail President Bio and the country at large.
