-Captain Kamara tells court martial
April 17, 2019
By Patrick Jaiah Kamara
The first accused in the ongoing Court Martial trial holding at the military headquarters in Freetown, Captain Patrick Edwin Kamara, has told justice Alhaji Momoh Jah Stevens and five Board Members that the keys to the stores that housed the arms and ammunition at the presidential lodge were controlled by Ex-president Ernest Bai Koroma.
“The second store is where the ammunition was kept and the third was where arms were kept. Both of them were at a basement and the keys to those stores were controlled by Ex-President Ernest Bai Koroma,” he said.
Captain Kamara made the statement whilst he was cross examined by State Prosecutor, Joseph A.K Sesay, immediately after he completed the longwinded testimony which he had started three weeks ago.
The gallant military captain, who had stood in the dock for about five hours, was led in evidence by his lawyer, Ade Macauley.
Continuing from where he stopped at the last adjourned date, the accused explained to the court the procedures involved in conducting training range.
He stated that trainings were done in 2009, 10, and 11 by his former boss at the Joint Presidential Guard Force, and that he also conducted same in 2012/13 on behalf of his former boss.
He said during the course of the investigation, he gave Superintendent M. K Alieu certain document, so that the latter would understand that the years arms and ammunition returns were made at the former JPGF, which he said was done in 2014 when in fact he was out of the country.
He said irrespective of the case, he would remain loyal to his job, and was always ready to defend the constitution of the country.
Meanwhile, under cross examination, he admitted receiving arms and ammunition from the Joint Logistic Unit on the instructions of his former boss.
He declined recalling the amount and types of the arms and ammunition he received, since he was not in possession of the document.
He said when he was deployed at the JPGF in 2009, he was the patrol commander, adding that since then he hadn’t received any official document of him being the second in command at the JPGF, even when his former boss left for Ghana.
“However, I was referred to as the second in command, but it was not official. When my former boss left for Ghana, I was asked by lieutenant General A. Y. Kargbo that I should step into the shoes of my former boss, lieutenant Colonel S.T Sesay,” he said.
He explained that there were three stores at the presidential lodge and that the first store was an operational store that was controlled by company quarter master, who were assisted by store men.
He said unlike the operational store which housed both arms and ammunition, the second and third stores separately housed arms and ammunition, of which the keys to those stores were under the controlled of former President Koroma.
The captain and two of his colleagues- Warrant Officer Class one, Samuel Conteh and Warrant Officer Class two, Abu Bakarr Jalloh, were part of the Joint Force Presidential Guard (JPGF) attached to Ex-president Koroma.
They were accused last year to have conspired to steal ammunition, and willfully damage to service property among others, but that they have denied the charges.
The matter continues next Tuesday, 23 April 2019.