By Janet A. Sesay

Inspector Mohamed Jusu attached to the Cyber Unit at the Criminal Investigations Department – CID Headquarters has stated in court that Alima Hassan Bangura, the fifth accused, was part of the investigation team investigating the November 26 attempted coup d’état.

He made this statement on Monday, 26th November 2024, before Justice Komba Kamanda and panel of jurors during cross examination at the treason trial at the High Court in Freetown.

While answering to questions put to him on behalf of accused Alima, witness Jusu said there was a warrant of arrest issued by the police against Koita for the November 26 incident but he was seen at the premises of the fifth accused, Alimatu Hassan Bangura, who was also a detective and part of the investigation team into what happened on the 26th.

Witness Jusu was shown exhibit FFF 1-9 which he identified as the phone conversations between accused Alimatu and Koita.

He said the conversation started with “Hi my love” from an international number and the response by Alimatu was “yes dear who please”.

Jusu further added that due to the response by accused Alimatu she did not know who she was chatting to at that time.

Witness Jusu, further answering to questions, said the person that was chatting with Alima was using an international number, +4475261111, but the person did not identify him or herself.

Answering further to questions, witness Jusu said during the conversation there was nowhere in the document he presented in court that the person on the phone identified himself as Amadu Koita Makalo, adding that in paragraph F of exhibit YYY 1-35,  he was not certain that the said number belonged to Amadu Koita Makalo.

Furthermore, Inspector Jusu said the number captured on the phone was a British number and he did not contact the British authorities to know whose number it was.

Witness Jusu continued that while investigating Alimatu Hassan Bangura’s phone he discovered that Koita’s number was saved three times: two foreign or international numbers (London) and one local number (Orange) were saved as Koita’s.

Jusu furthered that another England number was saved in accused Alimatu’s phone but no name was saved with it.

Exhibit FFF 1-9 was shown to the witness he identified as romantic pictures of Koita, adding that the lady in the picture did not resemble the face of the fifth accused.

Answering lawyer Teddy Koroma in cross examination on behalf of the fourth accused Ramatu Kamanda Conteh, witness Jusu said the text messages of accused Ramatu Conteh to Koita formed the basis for which she was in court.

He furthered that apart from those text messages she sent to Koita there was nothing else linking her to the matter.

Jusu confirmed that there was no response from Koita to the text messages sent by Ramatu, adding that it was a one sided message.

Lawyer Africanus Sesay on behalf of third accused, Salifu Kamara, showed the witness exhibit YYY 1-35 which he identified as a request for call logs from mobile companies from October to part of December 2023.

Witness Jusu said he requested for numbers from the mobile companies who were under investigation and accused Kamara’s phone number was submitted for investigation, adding that he was part of the joint investigation which led to the questioning of the accused Salifu Kamara.

Witness Jusu further answering to questions said during investigation, accused Kamara said he, Yapo and Soriba were work colleagues.

Witness Jusu said accused Kamara was a security personnel and during investigation he came to know that he was the bodyguard of former president Ernest Bai Koroma.

Jusu told the court that accused Kamara in his statement also said that he decided to call Yapo and and Soriba with his phone because they are work colleagues.

He said accused Kamara also told the investigators that president Koroma called him on his phone on 27th November 2023, instructing him that two pastors were visiting him and he should allow them in.

Lawyer Kamara, again on behalf of the eleventh accused Kabba Kamara, before cross examination made an application before the court that the CCTV footage at Pademba Road Prison be played again while doing his cross examination.

He said the reason is that the CCTV footage formed the core of his defence on behalf of accused Kabba Kamara.

He said he wanted the jurors to have the opportunity to see it to refresh their minds during cross examination.

Lawyer Kamara said cross examination can only be done on behalf of the eleventh accused when the video is being played and this will help the defence in their case.

State Counsel Yusuf Isaac Sesay opposed to the application, adding that the video had been played in court and the jurors had seen it.

He said it was not in the position of the defence counsel to tell whether the jurors wanted to refresh their memories or not.

He said the jurors have their foreman who asked to see clearly when the video was played in court. He vehemently opposed to the application made by defence counsel Kamara.

Justice Komba Kamanda in his ruling said the application made by defence counsel Kamara lacked basement and merit, adding that the defence cannot speak the minds of the jurors. He therefore dismissed the application made by defence counsel Kamara.

In continuation of cross examination on behalf of Kabba Kamara, witness Jusu admitted to questions put to him that the CCTV footage played in court does not have sound.

Exhibit RRR 1-5, which is the CCTV footage report at the prison was shown to the witness. In paragraph 15 of the report he said accused Kabba Kamara, the eleventh accused, was seen firing teargas at the prison gate.

He was asked by defence counsel Kamara if teargas is a fatal weapon, but said he cannot tell.

Page 8 of the said exhibit was read by witness Jusu and he said during investigation, Kabba Kamara identified himself wearing a white T-shirt firing teargas.

Witness Jusu continued that there were gunmen seen in the video going up and down Pademba Road.

He was asked again by defence counsel Kamara that since the CCTV footage does not have sounds how could he tell if the gunmen had threatened to kill Kabba if he did not fire the teargas at the prison gate.

Jusu answered that he saw OSD personnel holding rifles in the video but could not tell whether they were threatening accused Kabba Kamara or not, adding that looking at Kabba Kamara’s movement, they did not signify that he was under threat.

Hassan Kamara was also cross examined on behalf of the seventh accused Mohamed Woodie. The matter was adjourned to Wednesday, 22nd May 2024, for continuation.