July 6, 2015 By Hassan Gbassay Koroma
Fourth prosecution witness, Inspector Musa Bangura, testifying in a matter between the State and Foday Johnny, Sahr Nat Kelly, Quame I. Thullah and Michael Kpakiwa, Traffic Warden and police officers, respectively, told the court on Friday, 3 July how he arrested the second and third accused persons for accepting bribe.
Testifying before Justice Alusine Sesay at the Freetown High Court, the witness said he is attached to the Complaints Discipline and Internal Investigations Department (CDIID) at the Kissy Police Station, adding that he recognised the accused persons and also recalled the incident on 13June, 2013 when in the company of some other police personnel they went to the Eastern Police Station axis to observe police officers who were in the habit of taking bribes from commercial drivers.
He said he sent his subordinates to the street while he remained seated in the office of the exhibit writer. He said that while seated, second accused Sahr Nat Kelly entered the office together with a driver whom he asked to bail himself for an alleged offence he had committed, and that the driver took out the sum of Le30,000 (thirty thousand Leones) and gave it to the accused.
“After he received the money I identified myself to him as a police officer attached to the CDIID and asked him to hand over the money to me, but he refused and threw the money somewhere in the office which I found later and I arrested him,” he said.
He continued that while he was talking to the second accused, he saw the third accused Quame I. Thullah negotiating with a commercial bike rider he had arrested, before he collected an undisclosed amount of money from the rider.
He said he later went to him and identified himself as a police officer and demanded that he hands the money he had collected from the rider, but the accused refused. He said they argued until one Assistant Inspector of Police Kanneh intervened and also asked the accused to produce the money, but he again refused.
The witness said the third accused was searched and the sum of Le42,000 (forty-two thousand Leones) was found in his pocket, and with orders from ASP Kanneh, the accused persons were detained.
The matter continues.