Magistrate Otto During stated in his ruling that, the court is not complacent and cannot rely on the divorce marriage certificates the defendants claimed to have been issued to him by two imams, and that throughout the proceedings the two Imams could not be available to the court for any cross examination by Counsel for the Applicant, Blyden Jenkins Johnston.
The presiding Magistrate noted in her ruling that, she had listened and examined the submissions of both Counsels and also the validity of the divorce certificate issued by two Imams, stating that the Imam who the Respondent, Wurroh Timbo claimed to have issued the divorce certificate was now dead and no document was tendered to support the assertions and claims.
It is also stated in the ruling that, even the deputy Imam who jointly issued the said divorce certificate could not be traced by court to determine the assertions of the respondent, Wurroh Timbo, and that since the Respondent could not present his facts and convinced the court, Magistrate Otto During ruled the validity of the divorce certificate was never proven by the court.
She also dismissed the submission of Counsel for Respondent for want of prosecution.
In another court ruling dated 22 March 2016 , Magistrate Otto During ordered that having listened to both Counsels for the Applicant and Respondent, she ordered that the Respondent , Wuroh Timbo must provide the sum of seven hundred thousand Leones as maintenance allowance to the 1stApplicant, Mabinty Timbo and her only daughter who was the 2nd Applicant, Umu Timbo.
She also ordered for the Respondent, Wurroh Timbo to foot the educational and medical bills of the second 2nd Applicant, Umu Timbo his daughter who he has now disowned, including one million Leones as a monthly maintenance allowance which was supposed to take effect on the very day the order was made by the court, but that the ordered was later on held up as a result of an application which the Respondent lawyer, Kabbah Koroma had filed to the High Court appealing against Magistrate Otto During’s rulings.
The Respondent, Wurroh Timbo has appealed against the two magistrate court rulings in the High Court presided over by Justice Alusine Sesay.
