The Court of Appeal in Sierra Leone has on Tuesday January 19, 2021, upheld the conviction and sentence against appellants, Edward King and Sorieba Kamara, both former officials of the Ministry of Information and Communication.
The Court was presided by the Honourable Justice Miatta Maria Samba, Ja; Honourable Justice Ansumana Ivan Sesay, Ja; and The Honourable Justice Sulaiman Bah, Ja.
It could be recalled that, on February 27, 2019, Edward King, acting Director of Information; and Sorieba Kamara, Senior Accountant in the Ministry of Information and Communication, were sentenced to three years mandatory imprisonment, following their conviction in the High Court, presided by Justice Fatmata Bintu Alhadi, for corruption offences.
Their conviction came after they pleaded guilty to the counts of Misappropriation of Public Funds and Public Revenue, contrary to Section 36(1); failure to Comply with Applicable Procedures and Guidelines Relating to the Management of Public Funds, contrary to Section 48(2)b; and failure to pay tax payable to a public body, contrary to Section 48(1)d of the Anti-Corruption Act 2008, arising from the Le 206,000,000 that was said to have been partly misappropriated following the allocation of funds for Commissions of Inquiry sensitizations by the Ministry of Information and Communication.
In the judgment, the three Justices of the Appeals Court dismissed their grounds of appeal and upheld the Trial Judge’s conviction and sentence against both appellants to a mandatory prison term of three years.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) said in a statement on Wednesday that, it appreciates the judgment of the Appeals Court Justices, in upholding the custodial sentence, earlier handed down, as it serves as an effective deterrence to persons who would want to engage in acts of corruption, and welcomes such bold move and posture from the Judiciary.
The ACC reassures the general public of its determination to curb all levels of corruption throughout Sierra Leone.
By Sallieu S Kanu
21/01/2021. ISSUE NO: 7985