By sulaiman.sesay@awokonewspaper.sl
Freetown, SIERRA LEONE – In the ongoing preliminary investigation into allegations of importing bomb-making materials, Lebanese nationals Hussein Antar and Jamal Antar, along with Sierra Leonean Sulaiman Barrie, now face a total of 32 charges. This increase from the initial 30 counts follows an amendment made by the prosecuting counsel.
On August 30, 2024, State Prosecutor Yusuf Isaac Sesay informed the court of the revised charge sheet. Sesay explained that the amendment corrected errors from a previous court session, where counts seven and eight were inadvertently duplicated. The prosecutor requested an adjournment to present witnesses against the accused.
Defense attorneys did not oppose the adjournment but requested that the prosecution disclose evidence against their clients. Sesay responded that he was not legally required to share such evidence before the trial. The defense expressed dissatisfaction with this reply but continued to request bail.
Magistrate Bangura denied the bail request, citing the seriousness of the charges. The case has been adjourned to September 2, 2024, with the accused remaining in custody.
The three accused—Hussein Antar, 65, Jamal Antar, 65, and Sulaiman Barrie, 25—face an array of charges including conspiracy, funding the illegal transportation and stockpiling of chemical weapons, and importing arms manufacturing materials without a license. Additional charges include possession of arms manufacturing materials, aiding and abetting, unauthorized importation and transportation of prohibited drugs, and perverting the course of justice.
According to police reports, Hussein Antar is alleged to have financed Samuel Marrah for the illegal movement of chemical weapons from Queen Elizabeth II Quay to a residence in Waterloo between November 11, 2023, and July 9, 2024. The defendants are also accused of conspiring to import arms manufacturing materials into Sierra Leone without proper licensing between October 1, 2023, and November 30, 2023.
Further allegations state that between November 11, 2023, and July 7, 2024, the accused unlawfully possessed arms manufacturing materials within Sierra Leone. Jamal Antar and Sulaiman Barrie are alleged to have assisted Hussein Antar and other unidentified individuals in importing and stockpiling bomb-making materials and prohibited drugs during the same timeframe.
The charge sheet also accuses the defendants of transporting prohibited drugs from Queen Elizabeth II Quay to 93 Smart Farm, off Wilkinson Road, in Freetown without legal authorization and fabricating evidence to obstruct justice. SKS/2/9/2024
