The Police in the southern district of Pujehun are under the spotlight for allegedly receiving bribe to release a rape suspect.

The suspect is a teacher at the Roman Catholic Primary School in Ngandorhun Malen, Malen Chiefdom, where he allegedly sexually penetrated his 14-year-old Class 6 pupil.

ManoReporters gathered that the incident was first reported last month, leading to the arrest of the suspect. Family members of the victim say shortly after, the police released him after his family paid them a “bribe”.

The victim’s parents and other relatives confirmed the claim of bribery to ManoReporters. Adama Moriba, her mother, said they know that the family of the suspect paid the police money which led to his release from detention.

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Sama Moriba, the victim’s uncle, added that they saw the family members of the suspect raise money through borrowing from fellow villagers and shortly after the suspect was released from detention.

The victim’s father, Musa Moriba, first reported the matter to the Member of Parliament for Constituency 104, within which Ngandorhun Malen, fall.

The MP, Shiaka Sama, told ManoReporters that he immediately contacted the police when he received the report on Saturday, June 4th. He noted that the Regional Police Commander ordered the rearrest of the suspect in response. But according to Hon. Sama, two days later, on Monday, June 6th, the father of the victim visited the police station in Pujehun only to find out that the teacher was in fact not under police custody.

Hon. Sama said a police officer in Malen who is familiar with the case later told him that the suspect was rearrested but that he escaped custody.

“I told him that he was lying and that we had received information that the police in Pujehun Town had received a bribe to release the teacher. I told him that President [Julius Maada] Bio, the First Lady [Fatima Bio] and the whole world shall know about the violation and the Police’s role in protecting a criminal and a child abuser,” Hon. Sama said.

The lawmaker said 20 minutes after his phone conversation with the Police officer, a second officer from the same station called to inform him that the teacher had again been rearrested for the third time, and he even asked him [Sama] to send someone to verify it.

Hon. Sama confirmed that he sent someone who reported that the teacher was indeed under police custody. But the lawmaker is concerned that the police may be plotting another plan that could eventually see the suspect go free. He said he fears that they could write the wrong charge on the charge sheet, constituting lesser offence.