IMC chair ‘interrupts’ proceedings
October 23, 2015 By Patrick Jaiah Kamara
Judge Musu D. Kamara yesterday had to prematurely adjourn the matter between Dr. David Tam Baryoh and the Independent Media Commission (IMC) after the plaintiff solicitor complained that Ambassador Alieu Kanu, Chairman of IMC, was directing words at him as he addressed the court.
Ambassador Kanu was sat in the gallery when he allegedly uttered words to Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai as the latter was making his submission.
This ‘interruption’ by the IMC chairman apparently angered Abdulai, who asked the judge to adjourn the matter.
The trial was punctuated by heated exchanges by both counsels right from the onset of the proceedings.
Abdulai, who represents Dr. Baryoh, submitted that the decision of the media regulatory body to suspend the Monologue programme hosted by his client was “illegitimate, harsh, excessive, arbitrary, disproportionate, and lacks legal basis in law”. The lawyer maintained that the IMC deliberately violated the cardinal principles of natural justice as his client was not given the opportunity to be heard on the complainant that was made against him.
He said the commission failed to wait for the recommendations of the complaint committee and went ahead to suspend the programme indefinitely.
He asserted that when allegations were raised by listeners about the 100 buses, his client gave an opportunity to the Deputy Minister of Political and Public Affairs, Karamo Kabba, who clarified that the buses were not 85 but 100.
On a complaint by the Inspector General of Police Francis Munu that the Monologue presenter had aired hate speech about the police, counsel submitted that his client acted professionally by giving audience to spokesperson for the police, Assistant Superintendent Ibrahim Samura, for their own version of the story.
The commission is represented by Francis Gabbidon, A.S. Sesay and V. Koroma.
The matter will continue on 9 November, 2015