By Amin Kef Sesay
On the 10th May 2021 the Court of Appeal, presided over by Hon. Justice Fatmatta Bintu Alhadi (JA), directed Lawyers representing former President Ernest Bai Koroma to file and serve their written synopsis and appropriate Authorities on the Registrar and the Respondents on or before the 31st May 2021.
The former President filed appeals against the findings and recommendations of the judge-led Commissions of Inquiry (COI). It is stated that this is the first time the Court is hearing an appeal emanating from the former President since the commencement of the COI Appeals.
Hon. Justice Fatmatta Bintu Alhadi (JA), Komba Kamanda (JA) and Tonia Barnett (JA), the empaneled Justices, further directed the battery of lawyers representing the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to file and serve their written synopsis and appropriate Authorities on the Registrar and the Appellants on or before the 21st June 2021.
The matter was adjourned to the 30th June 2021 for hearing.
In another related development, the Court presided over by Hon. Justice Alhadi also gave directions on two other COI matters involving Emmanuel Beresford Osho Coker, Secretary to former President Koroma and the Limkokwing University.
Counsel for the Appellant, Roland Wright, was asked to file and serve his written synopsis with appropriate Authorities on the Respondent and the Registrar on or before the 31st May 2021 and the Respondents was directed to do same on or before the 21st of June 2021. The matter was adjourned to the 28th June for further hearing.
Lawyer I. Kanneh who represented Limkokwing University, having also filed an appeal against the findings and recommendations of the COIs, was directed to file and serve their written synopsis and Authorities on the Registrar and Respondents on the 24th May 2021, adding that the Respondents must do same on the 7th of June 2021. The matter was adjourned to the 14th June 2021 for hearing.
