By Ibrahim Kabba Turay
Inspector Mohamed Jusu, Crime Officer at the Criminal Investigations Department, faced cross-examination before Judge Advocate Mark Ngegba and Members of the Board, following his testimony in court, where he made significant revelations.
During the cross-examination, Defense Counsels, including Ady Macaulay representing their clients, the ninth accused, Staff Sergeant Idrissa Kallon and the 21st accused Staff Sergeant Bangura, challenged the witness’ statements.
Lawyer Macaulay pointed out discrepancies in the CCTV footage shown in court, highlighting instances of skipping in the video’s timeline. The witness acknowledged those irregularities, attributing them to technical reasons.
Exhibit ABJ 1-20, identified as a statement from Lieutenant Colonel Sheikh Ahmed Sandi, was presented to the witness, detailing an attempted escape from prison. Colonel Sandi claimed to have witnessed Kabba and Koita at the main gate during that incident.
Witness Jusu confirmed visiting the crime scene at Pademba Road Prison, where the CCTV footage was captured. However, he admitted to not investigating the broken cell doors, stating it was not within his purview. He clarified that his team only questioned Correctional Centre officials and did not investigate them.
When questioned about the number of cameras installed at the Correctional Centre, the witness admitted his lack of knowledge on the subject. He reiterated that the focus was on obtaining CCTV footage for the investigation.
Regarding the presence of the ninth accused in the CCTV footage, Witness Jusu noted his appearance at the prison gate but stated there was no evidence of him firing at the scene. He also mentioned the absence of voice experts to verify the voices heard in court.
Defense Counsel Julius Cuffie, representing accused RSLAF 18183354 PTE Koroma, inquired about the ownership of Koroma’s phone.
Witness Jusu confirmed it was Koroma’s personal property, stating that Koroma voluntarily provided his phone’s password to the investigation team. He presented screenshots retrieved from Koroma’s phone as evidence.
Further cross-examination by other Defense Counsels addressed various aspects of the investigation, including the source of the flash drive containing CCTV footage and the reliability of call data provided by mobile companies.
Witness Jusu clarified that he was not present during the extraction of CCTV footage and that call data was obtained from mobile companies without official documentation.
As the cross-examination concluded, the matter was adjourned for further proceedings.
