Concord Times (Freetown)
Princetta Williams
27 November 2008
A representative of Serry-Kamal and Co. law firm has described as "treacherous" newspaper reports that impute impropriety on the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abdul Serry-Kamal.
Lawyer Sahid Sesay told journalists that the reports were baseless and without foundation.
"That's totally unprofessional for certain reporters to take sides without sacrificing time to dig more into a story and give the other party the opportunity to tell their own side," Sesay said.
Sesay's statement followed press reports that Mr. Kamal connived with a valuer to underpay the National Revenue Authority taxes for letters of administration. The alleged incident took place before Serry-Kamal was appointed Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
"The reporter seems not to know the difference between commercial evaluation for commercial purposes and evaluation for purpose of administration," Sesay explained. He also said that there's nothing wrong in the two evaluations having a difference.
The matter in question involves a case now in the Supreme Court in which Bassam Ibrahim Basma is contesting an auction to sell his properties to pay the Wanza family more than Le1 billion. Kamal's law firm represented Basma.
This matter had once appeared in the High Court in which Ibrahim A.H. Basma, Bassam Ibrahim Basma's father, was the defendant and Wanza the plaintiff. Basma won in the High Court but Wanza's lawyer appealed the matter and won. Basma's lawyer then appealed against the Court of Appeal's judgment to the Supreme Court.
During the submission of the application in the Supreme Court, Basma's lawyer applied for a stay of execution of the Court of Appeal's judgment pending the hearing and determination of appeal in the Supreme Court.
Prior to the Court of Appeal order granting a stay, Basma died at Choithrams Hospital.
The court then ordered a stay of execution of the judgment of appeal with a condition that Basma should deposit all original title deeds of his properties with the court of appeal.
Subsequently an application was made by Basma's lawyer for Bassam Ibrahim Basma to be substituted in place of his deceased father. The younger Basma was granted all original title deeds to his father's properties.
A subsequent application was made to the Supreme Court for an extension of time within which Basma is to comply with the court of appeal order of a stay of execution and a variation of that order.
That application is still before the Supreme Court for ruling.
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