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Hawa Madiana Hunt, a 42-year-old dual citizen of Sierra Leone and Canada, made her first court appearance before Magistrate Santigie Bangura at Pademba Road Court No. 2 in Freetown.
She faces two charges under the Cyber security and Crime Act 2021, Act No. 7 of 2021, for allegedly sending insulting messages via a computer system.
According to the prosecution, between April 1 and April 30, 2024, Hunt allegedly used her Facebook account to post messages aimed at insulting the First Lady of Sierra Leone, Madam Fatima Jabbie Bio, and President Julius Maada Bio. The posts, shared via social media, are said to have been derogatory and intended to damage their reputations, provoke breaches of the peace, and cause public apprehension.
Hunt pleaded not guilty to both charges. State Prosecutor Yusuf Isaac Sesay requested a brief adjournment to allow the prosecution time to prepare its case.
Defense counsel J.B. Sesay applied for bail on behalf of the accused, emphasizing that Hunt is not a flight risk. He argued that her travel documents are in police custody, and she has strong ties to Sierra Leone as a philanthropist assisting children. The defense invoked Section 79(3) of the Criminal Procedure Act No. 32 of 1965 to support the bail application, highlighting the availability of credible sureties.
Magistrate Bangura denied the bail request, citing concerns about the accused’s dual citizenship and her potential flight risk given her Canadian ties. The magistrate also pointed to the gravity of the charges, which involve high-profile individuals and could have serious implications.
The case has been adjourned to January 15, 2025, for further proceedings.
𝕆𝕙 𝕤𝕒𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕖!
Sierra Leonean have to learn to respect their leaders, no head of a family would like to the disrespected by their children or any family members . Leadership is from God and respect is reciprocal, do on to orders as u like orders to do on to you.
Madam Fatima bio you na we all mama na this country do ya mama forgive we sister Hawa hunt wae na u piken do ya mama
Forgive am for the sake of God
Find place na you heart for forgive am
85 % of we sierranians we nor support am for wae tin e do
But mama please bad bush nor dae for troway bad piken
As patriotic citizen of our beautiful Mama Salone, I plead for mercy on her behalf. I’m against what she does on her social media page. Please Mama Fatima Maada Jabbie Bio, forgive our sister Hawa M. Hunt, if just for the fact that she’s been helping children and other people in this country. I believe she has learned her lesson this time, and she’ll never repeat such. We the citizens plead for mercy. God bless, Sierra Leone.🇸🇱❤️
We country abong. She can’t get bail because of a crime of insulting. So a murderer could get bail, but she can’t. Her passports have been seized, how is she a flight risk? Only reason she is not getting bail is because corrupt, tiffman Fatima Bio made a call and ordered that she be kept in jail or the scared judge is kissing Fatima’s behind. We need civility, but if insulting is that much of acrime, why don’t they send police to the streets everyday and arrest all those people that are cussing mammy cusses and whatever else? May these leaders Africa has been cursed with be punished.
Na whona na the na the dog den na salon if na u sister be dae na jail u nor for say dis
Nar una all dae coz problem for hawa . Instead of begging for her release you dae tok rubbish.