Post a comment
A senior official of the Sierra Leone judiciary Thursday, rubbished reports that they’re refusing to process bail papers of Mohamed Kamarainba Mansaray, a politician, who’s been in jail since July 2020, and had been denied numerous bail applications.
But Tuesday, he was granted bail by Judge Samuel Omodale Taylor.
He’s reported to be seriously sick, as he stands trial on several child sex abuse crimes with co-defendant, Marion Aruni.
The state alleges Mansaray conspired with Aruni, and had sexual intercourse with a secondary school girl – who was 15 years old at the time – in Kono, east of the country.
A source with direct knowledge of Mansaray’s arrangements tells TV-News24 earlier on Thursday, that a team representing Mansaray had made efforts and gotten the required paperwork for his bail approval.
TV-News24 will not name the source because s/he wasn’t speaking in an official capacity.
In Sierra Leone, once the process of acquiring paperwork relating to the terms of a bail that’s been granted are completed, the documents, if required, are then submitted to the Master and Registrar of the High Court – to sign off on, and thus approve the bail.
Therefore, the signature of that office is integral to anyone granted bail – and waiting to be released from jail.
Sierra Leone’s High Court Master and Registrar is Elaine Thomas-Archibald – and she supposedly gets off work at 5 p.m. local time.
The source, however, says Mansaray’s team couldn’t locate Thomas-Archibald on Wednesday – for her to sign the bail documents.
“Apparently, the Master [and Registrar] left to go home before [5 p.m.]. Hopefully, she will sign it today. I think they are playing games again,” the source wrote in an online text early Thursday.
In a later update same day, s/he said Mansaray’s team had all the required documents, and were awaiting on Thomas-Archibald’s signature – for Mansaray to be released from jail.
“She was in court yesterday but left early. She is here now, since this morning, and the file was given to her early this morning. She is refusing to speak to [the team],” the source says.
But The Judiciary of Sierra Leone Media and Communication Director Elkass Sannoh, dismissed the assertions – labeling them as untrue.
“I want to tell you: they didn’t come to court yesterday. It was today, just after 2 O’clock, that they came to the Master and Registrar’s office, and said that they’ve met the bail conditions, and want to start the process. And that they’ve gotten all of the required documentation,” Sannoh tells TV-News24 Thursday evening on the phone.
Sannoh said Mansaray’s team, which comprised of a junior defense lawyer, told Thomas-Archibald that trying to put the bail paperwork together – was the reason they hadn’t earlier approached her office…but they’ve now finished with that process.
In fact, Sannoh also said Mansaray’s team members who were at the Master and Registrar’s office, apologized and denied social media posts reporting that Thomas-Archibald refused to give Mansaray bail – after the judiciary read a post to them alleging so.
“Because, they said, the journalists just feel like writing without quoting them especially, that they’re close family members of Kamarainba. And they’re the ones who started the process,” Sannoh said.
Several telephone calls to Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai – the lawyer who last argued Mansaray’s bail application on Tuesday, when it was granted by Taylor – weren’t responded to.
Sannoh, the communications director, said the document(s) Mansaray submitted to the Master and Registrar, was for verification purposes.
He says the judiciary now verifies every document submitted to them by anyone – because people had previously used fictitious documentation, and house addresses, to bail others out of jail.
“Because now, … we’re verifying every document involved. Not only for Kamarainba – but for anyone granted bail by the court,” Sannoh said.
He said they don’t possess the authority to thwart Mansaray’s bail – once been granted by the judge.
“One thing people should understand is: if the court doesn’t want to grant bail, the judge will not grant it. It wouldn’t even be pronounced. But immediately bail is being pronounced by the judge, you should know that no one can stop it. What we’re here to do is making sure the person satisfies the bail conditions,” Sannoh said.
What happens next, Sannoh says, is for the Master and Registrar to verify the documents Mansaray submitted – and once that process is completed, she’ll sign off on the bail and approve it.
Thus, paving the way for Mansaray’s release from jail – after 14 months there.
