The office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice in collaborator with the Ministry of Information and Civic Education press conference to update the public on the November 26th failed coup

Government Press Conference On The Ongoing Trials Of The November 26th, 2023 Foiled Coup Attempt 19th January 2024 UPDATES The Office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Civic Education held a Press conference at Guma Building on Friday 19th of January 2024 to update the public on the ongoing trials relating to the November 26th failed coup attempt. The Minister of Information and Civic Education Honourable Chernor Bah in his opening remarks made it very clear that the trial process is guided by the rule of law and not in any way witch-hunting anyone. He added that the Government will continue to stick and abide by the principles of the rule of law. He furthered that the Government relies on evidence to ensure justice is served. Highlighting the need for peace and unity, Minister Chernor Bah talked about the Ministry's campaign to put 'Salone Above All' which is in line with His Excellency President Bio's call for building bridges and breaking down walls. Attorney General Mohamed Lamin Tarawalley provided a comprehensive update on the ongoing trials and also reacted to the decision of the High Court on Former President Koroma's trial. He disclosed that amongst the people charged with various offenses relating to the November 26th incident, 27 are serving military personnel and that the number of civilians is 13. The charges vary from treason, murder, misprision of treason harboring, etc. The Military personnel are facing 88 counts while the civilians are facing 20 counts. The learned Attorney General added that, among the civilians charged, is the former president who is charged with 4 counts of treason(1), misprision of treason(1), and harboring(2). He explicitly said that these charges were not made out of malice but based on clear evidence. He said as state attorneys, they are convinced that they have enough evidence to prosecute the matters. "Based on the police investigation and statements obtained and how the evidence was analyzed, showed they meet the threshold of the charges levied on the accused," the AG assured. On the issue of former President Koroma's medical leave, the Attorney General said even though they vehemently opposed the pleas of the defense team to grant bail to former President Koroma to seek medical attention, the government accepted the decision of the court based on the government's beliefs in the principles of the rule of law. According to him, the accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty. However, the government is confident that, they have clear evidence to get justice for what happened on November 26th, 2023. The matter of former President Koroma was adjourned to March 6th, 2024.