By Janet A. Sesay
Lead investigator, Joseph Bockarie Noah of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Tuesday 15 March 2022 stated before Justice Adrian Fisher at the High Court that the sum of $1M was paid through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part payment for the chancery building in New York.
Alie Kabba was the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation at that time.
Noah went on to state that Paul Mina, Director General and Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave private account to the Chinese to pay the sum of $1M into that account belonging to a company name Etic Sal.
Answering to questions from the defence counsel, the ACC witness told the court that the correspondence showing the order given by Ambassador Mina for the said money to be paid into the private account is in their custody and will make it available during next court sitting.
The ACC witness said Etic Sal was not involved in the reconstruction of the chancery building in New York, and the company’s account was not a government account.
Noah said they seek to know the ideas, experience and shareholders of Etic Sal Company in line with professional investigation.
He agreed before the court that one of the shareholders of Etic Company is a Guinean known as Abdul Rahmani Kabba who lives at 8 Leicester Peak Road in Freetown.
Kabba, according to the witness, holds 75% share of the company and the other is Fatumatu Kabba, an America who lives at the same address. She has 15% shares of the same company.
Noah was asked by defence counsel, Ady Macauley that if Alie Kabba resides at the same address, a question to which the witness responded in the negative.
The ACC investigator further testified that in the statements of the first accused, Saidu Nallo, it was the ambassador, Francis Kai Kai who requested the reconstruction of the chancery building in New York.
In the statements of the first accused, witness told the court that the Chinese made a commitment to give US$2M for the rehabilitation of the said building in New York and the first part payment was made to the former minister, Alie Kabba through Foreign Affairs Ministry.
The witness was further asked by defence counsel if the ACC asked Alie Kabba which account he gave to the Chinese for the money to be paid. He responded that they did ask him.
He also told the court that has been an investigator for a period of twenty years, and he is the chief investigator at the ACC.
Noah also explained that at the ACC, they have layers and the investigation department comprises team and each team is headed by senior investigating officers who have been supervised.
Those supervisors, he says, reports to him and he will report to the Deputy Director of the commission.
Noah said whenever progress reports are sent to him, he looks at the report and ensure that work has been done correctly.
He said during investigations when information was given to them by the accused, they do not take it for granted take it granted but look in their own investigations.
He said the indictments of the accused are submitted to him for comments and inputs and after that he sent them to the Deputy Director of the commission.
Defence counsel, Ady Macauley, at this juncture, sought for a date to continue his cross examination.
The matter comes up this Thursday.