By Ralph Sesay
Counsel for the State Musa Mewah in the ongoing Justice Annan Atugubah commissions of enquiry has said that over Le 200 billion liability inherited by the present administration at the Road Maintenance Fund Administration (RMFA) has rendered the institution dysfunctional.
Musa Mewah Esq was directly responding to a submission made by the defense counsel for the persons of interest, Wara Serry Kamal.
The defense lawyer has earlier on submitted that the former Chief Executive Officer of the RMFA,Abdulia Kalokoh and his Chairman did well in their tenure as heads of the institution.
She has told the Commission that these were fine gentlemen who served with all intents and purpose to maintenance a huge portion of very rugged and deplorable roads across the capital and other areas in the country.
Lawyer Wara Serry Kamal had also maintained that the issue of subjecting decent people who have served the state to Commissions of Enquiry will scare away decent from further serving the state in various capacities.
She has challenged her colleague from the state to present evidence that the persons of Interest had misappropriated monies belonging to the RMFA.
Musa Mewah while responding was quick to refer to a dozens of statements including those of the current RMFA Chief Executive Officer,Mr.Sheku Mohamed Kanneh and Chief Engineer French which had clearly pointed out that the RMFA was hugely indebted to a number of banks and contractors to the tune of over Le two hundred billion Leones.
The State Counsel has also indicated that there is evidence to show that the former Chief Executive Officer and a number of other individuals very influential to the RMFA had used state resources to construct private drives amounting to billions of Leones.
He cited the Al-Sheikh,Kalokoh,Johhny Paul and many other drives which according to him were constructed with state funds.
Lawyer Mewah had also submitted that the institution was plunged into rampant debts amounting to over Le 200 billion even when their initial yearly disbursement was around Le 109 billion.
Both the state and the defense for the persons of interest are presenting their closing arguments at the Justice Annan Atukugbah Commissions of Enquiry.
The Road Maintenance Fund Administration was singled out by the Commissions of Enquiry for investigations relating to the misappropriation of funds.