17 February set for judgement day
January 23, 2017 By Hassan Gbassay Koroma
The presiding judge, Justice Miatta Samba, in the ongoing Network Proximity US$800,000 fraud matter involving one Mohamed Osman Sesay and co-accused Denise Jones, had last Friday 20th January, 2017 set 17th of February, 2017 for judgement on both matters respectively.
It could be recalled that the 1st accused , Mohamed Osman Sesay, was charged to court by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to answer to eight counts of corruption offences ranging from conspiracy to commit corruption to deceiving, contrary to anti-graft laws.
ACC prosecution had alleged that the accused person conspired with other unknown persons to commit corruption offences contrary to Section 128 of the Anti-Corruption Act of 2008.
The ACC also alleges that on diverse dates between May and July, 2015, being an agent, the accused conspired with unknown individuals to deceive one Mr. Dominic Anselm Joseph Beary, Director of Network Proximity Sierra Leone Limited, to pay the sum of US$100,000, purportedly as fees for an international gateway license.
The anti-graft prosecution also contends that other monies were paid by Beary to the accused person for various purposes, adding that the accused person had intent to deceive, thus issued various letters to Beary, which he purported were signed by Minister of Information and Communication, Alhaji Alpha Kanu, his deputy, Theo Nicol, and the Director of Communication in the same ministry.
Other letters the accused sent to Beary, the prosecutor alleged, were also purportedly signed by chairman of the National Telecommunication Commission, Momoh Konte.
Addressing the accused persons in the absence of their lawyer, Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai, Justice Samba informed them that their lawyer has not filed in his address and that he had called and provided reason(s) as to why he was yet to do so.
“Your lawyer personally called and explained to me as to why he is yet to file in his address and I have shown some understanding to him. I am going to extend the time for your lawyer to address the court to 27th January, 2017 and give the prosecution 3rd February to reply,whille I shall be giving my final judgement of the this matter on the 17th of February, 2017,” she said.
Meanwhile, the co-accused, Dennis Jones, who is before the court on one count of conspiracy on the same matter, told the court that he couldn’t afford to fulfil the bail condition granted him, thus, asking the court to re-visit it.
However, the judge reviewed the bail condition from the initial three hundred million Leones and one house book to one hundred and fifty million Leones plus one surety.
She further ordered that the accused and his surety should submit all travelling documents to the court
The Prosecutors alleges that Jones had published an article in the Salone Champion Newspaper, purporting that the Sierra Leone government had agreed to award an international gateway license to Network Proximity Ltd. SL.
Matter continues.