Having witnessed a lengthy police interrogation, Long-standing barrister, Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara has come out clear that Ernest Bai Koroma is not part of any coup to oust President Julius Maada Bio.
Counsel Kamara minces no word saying he would have taken another path in the defence if there was any coup on the part of the former President.
“I would have changed my mind if there was any coup,” he argued while making specific reference to questions posed by the police during the interview.
The lead defence counsel who strongly maintains his client’s innocence also submitted that “there was nothing incriminating against the former President” as most of the questions revolved around Koroma’s knowledge of the guards that were securing him while he was on the presidential seat.
He said the people of Sierra Leone including the former President condemned the coup adding that they would continue to stand by him since they believed in his innocence. He cautioned government not to drag this country to another all-out conflict whose consequences are hard to tell.
From the start of the interview right to the end, Mr Kamara said, there was no challenging question posed by the investigator that showed that his client bore a hand in the putsch.
Most of the questions, according to Kamara, that were posed to his clients were ridiculous and these were: Do you know Koita? Do you know Leather Boot? Do you know Kabba? Koroma’s responses were positive as those guys guarded him while he was President painstakingly serving the nation.
Although he upholds police professionalism, he was however appalled at the repetition of similar questions during an interview that last for 40 hours without any tangible evidence.
It was clear that police action was an overt attempt to nail the former President on the cross but it all ended in a terrific failure. The evidence adduced in the police station, the lawyer said, was the same evidence he hoped to see in court.
However Counsel Kamara who was stunned, struck and shocked to see a global icon in the dock.But, he was hopeful that no one get within one hour what he failed to earn in forty hours.
He described government’s decision to prefer charges against the former President as a “dangerous precedent” that will hunt this country for generations to come.
To many Sierra Leoneans, Koroma’s charges are politically motivated, a move that attracted wide-ranging criticisms from within and outside Sierra Leone.
Kamara too criticised government officials for their contemptuous treatment against such a honourable statesman who has diligently delivered to the people of Sierra Leone and continues to fly high the country’s flag on the international arena.
He believes that the people of Sierra Leone too benefits from the good image which the former President is carving for the country.
Mr Kamara also admonished government against relying on weak evidence for a treason trial as he stated that “taking a former head of state to court required one to have strong, cogent and irrefutable evidence, and the reverse may lead to dangerous consequences. Government which is bent on the treason prosecution will take heed.
If that was the case, Kamara went on, they would “vigorously prove his innocence” so that he could once more take back his glory and honour among his people.
“We will not take it lightly, we will pursue it, we will defend him come rain come shine, in toil and tears,” Counsel Kamara further assured the people of Sierra Leone especially APC comrades.
He however cautioned the government that Sierra Leoneans needed peace and security as the country is engulfed in political tension.
The defence counsel also equally pays attention to the good image which the former President has carved for himself through comportment, patience, restraint and good deeds to all manner of people regardless of tribe, region and political affiliation.
“A matter of this nature is a reputational damage and nobody can fix it,” Kamara stressed adding that peace is a management process and must be
maintained at all times particularly at a time like this one when the country can implode on its own.
Former President Koroma is a highly respected personality within and outside Sierra Leone owing to his role in the defence and promotion of peace and democracy in Africa.
Throughout his 11-year rule, there has never been a time in which the former President accused SLPP (Sierra Leone People’s Party) politicians of any coup in Sierra Leone.
He builds tolerance to opposition politicians and respects the rule of law.
When APC’s regional headquarters in Bo city was in flames, the former President protected SLPP offices all over the country using the police and the army. Above all, most of SLPP’s politicians including President Bio are key beneficiaries of his magnanimity.
Just five years after the presidency, Koroma has led several AU/ECOWAS observation missions in several African countries with Nigeria being the latest. He even persuaded Zambia’s one-term President, Edgar Lungu to hand over power to his successor, Hakainde Hichilema who he advised never to look back if he was to succeed in the state governance project.
Hichilema who has been a victim of unlawful arrest and detention during his struggle to hold power in Zambia heeded to Koroma’s advice and his country is currently one of the success stories on the continent.
Koroma is also a member of the Brenthurst Foundation, a body of former African leaders whose role is to promote peace and stability on the continent.
The Foundation cautioned President Bio to stop intimidating the former President who he can enlist to help him build peace and democracy in Sierra Leone.
Persistent calls by international bodies and associations for the release of the former President continue to heighten doubt on the “attempted Coup.”
Counsel Kamara’s doubt over the innocence of the former President and that of peace are widely shared by several Sierra Leoneans here and in the diaspora, diplomatic missions particularly the United States, peace agencies, civil society organisations, the media, Inter-Religious Council of Sierra Leone among others.
US Ambassador, David Hunt recently expressed concern on the coup claims saying no sober-minded opposition politician could take part in a coup to topple a government facing legitimacy crisis locally and internationally.
On the overriding concerns for peace and safety of the state, several local agencies have earlier called on government to drop the charges against the former President or try him elsewhere.
Inter-governmental bodies too continue to make similar calls in the interest of peace and stability which is under threat in Sierra Leone.
The sub-regional bloc ECOWAS seems to have shown more concern about the peace and stability of the state. President of the Commission, Dr Omar Alieu Touray recently requested the temporal relocation of the former President to Nigeria’s capital, Abuja on conditions that all charges are dismissed, benefits paid and property secured.
This request was however turned down by government with the Foreign Affairs Minister saying it did not reflect the collective position of ECOWAS.
Without doubt, the former President will continue to stand trial here in Sierra Leone till the case came to an end.
African Union as well the United Nations have also voiced out their interest over Sierra Leone’s political and security situation.
Toady, the Security Council, the highest organ of the United Nations is discussing the present state of affairs in Sierra Leone and a resolution is expected soon.
Few days ago, the UN body warned Sierra Leone government to honour commitments in the communique recently signed between the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party and the main opposition, All People’s Congress.
UN’s call for Bio to respect the communiqué portrays the views of many Sierra Leoneans that the November attacks are an easy way to walk away from the dialogue. Only time will tell as Kamara vows to fight Koroma’s legal battles.