Peep Sierra Leone

Mosque Chairman, Abu Berry Sankoh was this week cleared of a charge of malicious damage to which he was standing trial before Court 2 where (now Justice) J.O. Wellington presides,

Sankoh was dragged to court after a co-member of his mosque alleged that on the 7th June 2011 he led other members of the Kissy Brook Mosque to destroy his unfinished building which was under construction, charges which the chairman had always denied. Before acquitting and discharging, Abu Berry Sankoh, the sitting Magistrate told the Court that the land on which the said building at 6 Kissy Brook was standing was disputed and a subject of a High Court matter. He said that a mystery showed in exhibits tendered. On one of the exhibits which was a letter dated 1st October 2009 originating from the Director of Surveys and Lands showed that the complainant was leased the land for 3 years but another exhibit dated 8th June 2010 which was a receipt for Le800,000 which the complainant claimed was for the purchase of the said piece of land. "By all account," Justice Wellington said, "As chairman of the Jamaat, the accused is also laying claim to that land". He said that there were a lot of doubts in PW1, and Pw 2's testimonies. "The complainant, PW1, is a member of that mosque but he could not identify a single person who took part in the alleged demolition except for the accused himself". "Justice Wellington said that both PW1 and PW2 in their evidence in chief told the court that it was the whole building that was destroyed by the accused and other members of the mosque but under cross examination they said that it was only part of it. Concluding Justice Wellington said that the police failed to check the accuses' alibi which put him at a different place during the commissioning of the offence. Not to stray from the usual, Abu Berry Sankoh, smartly dressed in a cream coloured suit, raised his hands in the air and thanked Allah, The King of Kings. "Allahu Akbarr," he said gleeful. "Allah Akbarr, Kabiran". His followers responded. A happy ending to what was a nightmare for all the members of Abu Berry Sankoh's mosque.