2023-05-04 23:08:27
The trial of the former President of the National Assembly, Amadou Damaro Camara, continued this Thursday, May 4, 2023, before the Court of Repression of Economic and Financial Offenses (CRIEF). The boss of the ninth legislature was eagerly awaited before this court, especially since a warrant to bring him had been issued once morest him at the previous hearing. But he was conspicuous by his absence at the helm. The special prosecutor of the CRIEF, Aly Touré, invoked the defendant’s state of health to justify his non-appearance before the Court. The prosecutor notably indicated that Damaro Camara’s blood sugar and blood pressure were high and that his “oxygen saturation” was below normal, reports Guineematin.com through one of his journalists.
In this case before the CRIEF, Amadou Damaro Camara is accused of alleged acts of “embezzlement of public funds, illicit enrichment, money laundering, corruption in the public and private sector, illegal taking of interest and complicity”. The former president of the National Assembly is being prosecuted in this case along with Michel Kamano, Zenab Camara and the Chinese expatriate Jin Sun Cheng. These last three appeared this Thursday before the Court, but Amadou Damaro Camara was conspicuous by his absence. His state of health did not allow the execution of the arrest warrant which was issued once morest him by the Court.
“It turns out that he (Amadou Damaro Camara) was not at the central house, he is still hospitalized at the Sino-Guinean hospital. But, since it is a warrant in which it is said that the order is given to any agent of the public force to lend a hand in the execution of this warrant, and the arrest warrant, its content is to present the one who is the main concerned before your court, which is why we waited for today’s date to be able to execute it. Because it was for the hearings. Mr. President, when the prison guards went to the central house, they exhibited the warrant as it should be in the rules for the execution of the warrant, the doctors gave free rein to extract Amadou Damaro Camara, to put him in the pickup and send it to your court. Except that the attending physician drew the attention of the prison guards to the pathological state of Mr. Damaro. He told them: the mandate is a court decision which is carried out by agreement, it is your duty. But, we have the obligation to give you the vital parameters of the patient (Amadou Damaro Camara) that we have here. So that’s when they unrolled everything they know how to do there in their jargon. We don’t control that. When the guards gave me the information, I wanted to talk directly with the attending physician to find out what the difficulties are in carrying out this mandate, because we are the main ones concerned. It was then that the doctor told me that the patient has a current blood sugar level of 2 grams. I said to him: how much is normal? He told me: it’s around 1.1 or 1.2 grams. He said the blood pressure is very high and the blood pressure would be at 15.9; while normal would be around 12.8. He also added that the oxygen saturation was 86; whereas under normal conditions, the oxygen saturation that might change to normal should be above 95%. He told me that’s all I have to tell you regarding the situation of his condition… I wanted to ask the attending physician: what was needed for him (Amadou Damaro Camara) in this moment ? He told me: he needs at least a week’s rest. And, I guarantee that in 10 days, it will be available. This is why Mr. President, honorable assessors (…), we suggest to your Court, we ask your Court, to give us the opportunity to execute your decision. This opportunity is to ask you once once more for a reasonable period of time so that the person who is the subject of this mandate is fit to be brought before you so that we can do it in accordance with what you demanded in the act of Last April 27… The public prosecutor considers that the non-execution of this mandate is in no way linked to a lack of will on our part. But, we were just confronted with the opinion of the doctors. This is why we have been seized from you. This is why we humbly suggest that you grant the public prosecutor a minimum period of 10 days as the doctor told us so that we can present Mr. Amadou Damaro Camara before your august bar,” said prosecutor Aly Touré.
Finally, the court acceded to this request from the public prosecutor, while ordering the continuation of the proceedings in this case with the defendants Michel Kamano, Zenab Camara and Jin Sun Cheng.
“The Court is very calm. We contribute to the manifestation of the truth, no one is designated guilty. When the Court writes to an accused, follow-up must be given to his writings. The court has no report to find out what it is… So the mandate is maintained, it is a decision. Except that you always have to humanize the process. We must take into account its condition; and, the State is invited to assume its responsibilities to treat and watch over the defendant’s state of health so that he appears here serene and that we can have more clarity in our procedures, because we want to see clear in this case. Mr. Prosecutor, the warrant is maintained. We continue the debates until he appears, and he will appear,” said President Francis Kova Zoumanigui.
Of the three defendants present at this hearing, only Michel Kamano took the stand to answer questions from defense lawyers and those from the civil party. And, in his explanations, the former deputy and quaestor of the National Assembly, once once more denied all the offenses articulated once morest him, while explaining to the Court how and why the 15 billion Guinean francs incriminated in this case were been used.
After the defense lawyers and the civil party had finished asking their questions, it was the public prosecutor’s turn to ask theirs. But he asked for a referral so he might ask all his questions. The Court acceded to this request and finally postponed the case to May 15 for the appearance of Amadou Damaro Camara, the production of a bank account statement of the 5 billion Guinean francs remaining alleged by Michel Kamano during his testimony and the continuation of the debates.
Mamadou Laafa Sow and Fatoumata Djoulé Diallo for Guineematin.com
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