By Janet A. Sesay
Justice Cosmotina Jarrett has yesterday granted Le500M bail to Herbert George Williams and Abu Bakarr Daramy.
After granting them bail, Justice Cosmotina Jarrett warned that if they fail to appear in court, on the next adjourned date, their properties would be confiscated to the State.
She made this strong statement after lawyers representing the accused successfully made bail applications on behalf of their clients.
Reading the bail conditions, Justice Jarrett said the accused were granted bail in their own recognition and they should provide properties worth Le500 million each. She said the accused should also provide valuation certificates of the properties to be tendered.
She added that the accused should surrender all their travelling documents to the Master and Registrar.
Justice Jarrett said if the accused did not meet the bail conditions, in their own recognition, the two sureties should stand in their recognizance and the sureties should also have properties and machineries worth Le500 million each, plus they should also submit a conveyance.
Justice Jarrett explained that she granted the accused bail because they were presumed innocent until the matter is proven otherwise.
She added that she also granted the accused bail because the Bail Regulation of 2018 guaranteed them the right and also because the State lawyers failed to file and properly submit the affidavit.
Earlier, making his bail application, Lawyer Melron Nicole Wilson, representing the first accused (Abubakarr Daramy), said he was respectfully applying for his client to be granted bail, adding that if granted bail the accused will not interfere with prosecution witnesses.
“My client has a strong community task as he has a family to take care of, and he will not in any way jump bail and put his family name in disrepute. The first accused is entitled to the presumption of innocence and he has been incarcerated for almost twelve months,” he appealed.
Lawyer Alpha Jalloh, representing the second accused (Herbert George Williams), adopted the bail application made by Nicole Wilson.
He added that his client is a preacher and a former Mayor of the Freetown City Council and has also been incarcerated for over 12 months.
“When he was first arrested, he was vibrant and strong but now he cannot even walk. If he is granted bail he will seek proper medical attention and will be ready to face his trial,” he canvassed.
The accused are standing trial at High Court on two counts of murder and conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm.
It is alleged that the accused, on March 31, 2018 at Lumley in Freetown, murdered the late Managing Editor of New Age Newspaper, Ibrahim Samura.
The matter was adjourned to Wednesday August 19, 2020.