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Saturday July 23, 2005 

Tamba Borbor reports from Freetown

Justin Musa has been arrested midday Friday 22^nd July. He was nabbed by officials of the Anti-Corruption Commission in collaboration with personnel of the Sierra Leone Police Force while trying to enter into the Guinean capital, Conakry through Gbalamuya Checkpoint in the Kambia district. 

 The Managing Director of the Sierra Leone Water Company (SALWACO), who recently has been accused and picked up by the ACC for alleged corruption dealings in his institution, had earlier been summoned by the Commission on Thursday 21^st July to surrender all travelling documents.

On the same day while officials of the ACC were at his residence, Justin Musa is said to have sneaked through the back door to a nearby garage accompanied by a car mechanic- Mr. Shaw.  The two men onboard a black Rendezvous jeep with registration number: ACB 571 took off together with another bottle green Toyota Landcruiser jeep with registration number ACC 593- heading for the border into Guinea.

 On a tiff-off, officials of the ACC left on the chase while alerting the Police manning the border in Kambia. It is reported that the SALWACO Boss spent the Thursday night at Gbalamuya together with Mr. Shaw and the two others- a lady who is said to be an ex-Police officer and a gentleman who was driving the Landcruiser jeep. Luck is said to have ran out of Justin Musa and the three others when Police personnel despite failed efforts to grease their palms, nabbed them while trying to cross into Guinea. They were then taken to the Kambia Police Station and detained until the arrival of investigators of the ACC. 

 In handcuffs, the four were brought to the ACC offices at Gloucester Street in Freetown onboard a Land Rover owned by the Commission at exactly 6:50 pm on Friday 22^nd July. Officials of the ACC said they found three travelling bags in the black Rendezvous jeep including five gallons of fuel in a container. In the bottle green Landcruiser jeep, a corroded cutlass was also found which use has not been ascertained by Police and ACC officials. 

 Disgruntled youths in the Government wharf and King Jimmy environ dashed to the ACC office to get a glimpse of Justin Musa and the three others. Chanting praises for a job well done by the ACC, some of the youths were heard angrily saying: “this man needs to be publicly flogged before been taken to the Pademba Road Prison,” while others were saying: “when we steal very small sums, we are been locked up for months. But these are the people that are responsible for our unfortunate economic situation in the country.” Some wanted him lynched.

 As the crowd swelled by every minute, Police and ACC officials were swift to disperse them while driving off the fugitives to the Police Station. Prelude to the arrest of Justin Musa, his wife- Susan Musa was also nabbed in Freetown while allegedly returning to collect their travelling documents left behind.  The operation to capture the SALWACO Boss was headed by Police Detective Festus Robin-Taylor.

PHOTO :  JUSTIN MUSA AND FEMALE FUGITIVE ALIGHT FROM ANTI-CORRUPTION LANDROVER IN HANDCUFFS YESTERDAY AFTER HE WAS ARRESTED TRYING TO FLEE THE COUNTRY