Running up to the end of the ongoing treason trial at the High Court of Sierra Leone, Defense Lawyer, Roland Wright in a partially full court has said to assassinate a President of a country does not amount to treason and the prosecution’s treason case is like a fool spying from a mad man in an examination class.
Lawyer Wright made this submission in court while addressing the jurors in the treason trial between the State, Retired Major Alfred Palo Conteh and two others on Tuesday 30 June 2020. He further explained that there is no treason case before the court because the evidence of the prosecution states that to assassinate the president is treason and such goes contrary to what the laws of Sierra Leone says about treason.
Lawyer Wright added that in committing a treasonable offense one has to dismantle an entire government, which according to him “If you assassinate the President the Vice President will take over government.” “We now have a treason trial because there are people who think the first accused should not enjoy what they have labored for and people who think their jobs are at risk if they let the first accused goes free,” he pointed out.
He told the jurors that the prosecution refused to bring the Close Circuit Television (CCTV) footages because the CCTV footage does not show what the prosecution is saying and the prosecution’s case is wrong. He made an analogy to Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology in football matches that replays any previous act for fair play.
Lawyer Wright said after handing over his weapon to the securities at the reception desk no evidence before the court states that he was searched or asked to pass through the metal detector to check if he has grenades or other offensive weapons but was allowed to access the second floor where the office of the president resides.
He furthered that after the matter was reported to the Head of Presidential Guard at State House, Colonel Kposowa, he did not go upstairs to check if the President is safe but went down stairs to open what he (Lawyer Wright) described as ‘Commission of inquiry’ and later went to the questioned the first accused about the brown bag after thirty munities.
He told the Jurors that one does not need a license to commit a criminal offense, and in most cases offenders don’t need a license because they don’t want to be traced. Lawyer Wright also informed the jurors that people that issued license to vehicle holders would not be arrested after the driver of the said vehicle got drunk and drive recklessly and kill someone along the road, in that direction, Lawyer wright said his client has no case because he was discharging his duty as deputy commissioner at the Small Arms Commission.
He said it is not true that the first accused did all procedures that deals with the renewal of weapon on the same day because there is an evidence before the court that says the process started in February 2020 and ends in March 2020. Lawyer Wright also told the jurors that a witness from the Small Arms Commission has testified earlier that the renewal process is different from acquiring a fresh license and a renewal only requires a medical certificate and that that was also confirmed by the Head of the Commission while testifying as prosecution witness in the matter.
He added that it was not the second accused that confirmed the registration of the first accused but the head of the license bureau, but he’s client is now charged for treason for discharging his duty. “The prosecution wants you to believe that the second accused instigated the first accused to commit treason,” he stated.
Lawyer Wright also told the jurors that even the prosecution does not believe in their case, and questioned that how many bucket of ‘Pampas Water’ the jurors need to take to believe the case of the prosecution. As he closed his address, Lawyer Wright informed the Jurors that they might not be Presidents, Prime Ministers or any leaders in high places but there would be a time in any man’s life in which an opportunity would be granted to decide between falsehood and the truth. He moved closely towards the jury stand and asked, whose side would you be?
While giving address on behalf of his client, Lawyer Amadu Koroma, counsel for the third accused said if the preliminary investigation would have been completed at the magistrate court his client would not have been brought to the High Court because according to him his client has no case to answer. He said in all the thirteen witnesses that were brought before the court by the prosecution none of them said something against his client that he lied of knowing the first accused – “including the head of the Small Arms Commission and the Head of License Bureau at the Commission.”
Lawyer Koroma told the jurors that the prosecution want them to believe that his client aided the first accused to kill the President, but called on the Judge to acquit and discharge his client in his summing up or if such is not achieved the jurors should return with a verdict of not guilty for the third accused in all the counts levied against his client. He reminded the jurors that they are sitting on a serious case and they should discharge the burden that has been bestowed on them judiciously because the people of Sierra Leone and the world are watching.
Lawyer Koroma canvased the jurors that if the Head of Security at State House does not believe at that time that the first accused committed a treasonable offense and allowed him to go home they too should not believe same. He made instances of Presidents that were shot in the United States of America in which the culprits were charged for murder and attempted murder and not treason. Lawyer Koroma said there is no evidence before the court that says the first accused informed the third accused that he would be invited to State House and take the gun there to kill the president. He said the prosecution only charged his client and the second accused to paint the picture of treason.
Lawyer Koroma explained that to usurp executive power there must be a plan, adding that there is no plan before the court that speaks to that direction and the said plan should have talked about other people that would have taken over the other Arms of government. In conclusion, Lawyer Koroma quoted from the Bible and posed a question to the jurors, “What shall it profit a man to gain this world and lose his soul?” He Pointed towards the jurors again, and speaks in Arabic, ‘Ittaqulla (fear God). Presiding Judge, Justice Momoh Jah Stevens has adjourned the matter to Wednesday 1 July 2020 for a summing up to the Jurors.
