Today in Freetown, the trial of Samura Kamara, the presidential candidate of Sierra Leone's main opposition party, the All People's Congress (APC), in the recently concluded elections, is set to resume.
The notice issued by the Judiciary of Sierra Leone states that the case, titled "The State Vs Saidu NALLO, Adikali Foday Suma, Foday Vahfomba Bawoh, Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara, Kandeh Foday Basil Kamara & Jules Sanders Davis," will be heard before Justice Adrian Fisher in Court No.11 at 1:00 am prompt on Friday, July 14, 2023.
The Anti-Corruption Commission of Sierra Leone (ACC) has charged Dr. Samura Matthew Wilson Kamara with one count of deceiving a principal and one count of misappropriation of public funds. The charges are related to an amount of Two Million, Five Hundred and Sixty Thousand United States Dollars ($2,560,000) meant for the reconstruction of the Sierra Leone Chancery Building in New York.
Kamara has consistently denied the allegations, asserting that the case is politically motivated and intended to tarnish the positive image and reputation he has built over the years.
During the June 24 elections, Samura Kamara emerged as President Julius Maada Bio's primary challenger. However, Bio secured victory by obtaining over 56 percent of the votes, avoiding a run-off against Kamara, who received approximately 41 percent.
Nevertheless, Kamara swiftly rejected the election results, expressing his outright disbelief in their credibility. He took to Twitter shortly after the Chief Electoral Commissioner, Mohamed Konneh, announced the presidential results and stated, "These results are NOT credible, and I categorically reject the outcome as announced by the electoral commission."