APC presidential candidate Samura Kamara to appear at Commission of Inquiry

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 7 June 2019:

2018 Presidential Candidate for the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party – Dr Samura Kamara, has been summoned to give evidence in the inquiry into the sale of government’s shares in the Sierra Rutile Company Ltd., which is alleged to have been sold by the former president Ernest Bai Koroma to his nephew – John Sisay at a knockdown price.

Sesay is reported to have then gone on to sell the company to an Australian mining group for hundreds of millions of dollars.

Samura Kamara is believed to have been the finance minister in the Koroma government, who would have either signed documents for the sale of Sierra Rutile to Sesay, or had knowledge of the sale.

Photo: President Koroma unilaterally declaring Samura Kamara 2018 APC presidential candidate.

Samura has been summoned to appear in front of Justice Biobele Georgewill next Monday, 10th June 2019, after the former Secretary to President Koroma – Mr. Emmanuel B. Osho Coker who served in that capacity from 2008 to 2018., denied any knowledge of the sale of Sierra Rutile.

Giving evidence at the Commission of Inquiry led by Justice Biobele Georgewill yesterday, the former secretary to president Koroma said he was not aware of the sale of government shares in Sierra Rutile Limited in 2012.

Questioned by lead state counsel – Mrs. Khadija Zainab Bangura, the former secretary to the president revealed that not everything that went to State House passed through him.

Giving evidence for the State, Mr. Sahr Lahai Jusu – government Financial Secretary, tendered a document at the COI which he said he obtained from the Bank of Sierra Leone regarding the sale of the shares that is of interest to the inquiry.

Sahr Lahai Jusu told the inquiry he could not find trace of record regarding the sale of Sierra Rutile in the ministry of finance.

“I requested the Accountant General to provide details in respect of Sierra Rutile shares and the Accountant General came back and could not provide details of the sales…….From the Minister’s office, we could not trace any record regarding the sales of the 30%,” he said.

Asked to confirm who was the minister of finance at the time of the sale of the government’s shares in Sierra Rutile, Sahr Lahai Jusu said it was Dr. Samura Kamara.

Without any further ado, Justice Biobele Georgewill ended the proceedings and ordered the former finance minister and 2018 APC presidential candidate – Dr. Samura Kamara to appear before the inquiry next Monday 10 June 2019. The inquiry was adjourned.

Dr. Samura Kamara is the most senior former APC government official, so far summoned to appear at the Commission of Inquiry, with many expected to follow suit in the coming days.

Former transport minister – Logus Balogun Koroma as well the former minister of energy – Henry Macauley, were summoned to appear before Justice William Annan Attuguba yesterday, Thursday 6 June 2019, to give evidence in the matter regarding the illegal awarding of contract amounting to over $5 million to Barrows Construction Ltd for the Lungi Airport Terminal Building Rehabilitation Project.

 

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