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Legal Aid Director threatens action against police

Legal Aid Director threatens action against police

As the Legal Aid Board prepares to launch the ‘Scaling Up Access to Justice Leaving No One Behind’ campaign on Thursday, September 8, the Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles has issued a stern warning to bad eggs in the Sierra Leone Police that keeping suspects in cells more than the time prescribed by law will not been tolerated.  According to Ms. Carlton-Hanciles all such matters will henceforth be taken up with the Inspector General of Police and the Complaints Discipline and Internal Investigations Department (CDIID) of the Sierra Leone Police.
‘We will start the campaign in police stations across the country because we know that bad eggs in the police allow themselves to be used to detain suspects especially the youths unnecessarily,’ Carlton-Hanciles said.  ‘I have had reason to call police officers to demand an explanation regarding the detention of suspects and I have been shocked at how panicky the officers have been; rather explain the reason for their action, they beg for forgiveness.’
The warning follows the detention of Alie Mohamed Conteh of the Protec Security at the central police station for six days for allegedly stealing a motorcycle from Rajus Electronic at Big Waterloo Street.
Alie was arrested on Sunday, August 27 by one police officer called Mansaray attached to the Central Police Station after he was called to the scene of the crime. He was taken to the Central Police station and detained after a staff of the Rajus Electronics made a report against him.  He was kept in the cell for six days even though the staff of Rajus declined to make a statement at the police. It took the intervention of the Paralegal with the Sierra Leone Legal Aid Board, Ibrahim Kallon to secure Alie’s release. Kallon had demanded that the police charge or release the suspect.
The investigations by Ibrahim Kallon revealed that the staff of Rajus did not go back to the police station to make a statement because it was discovered that the motorcycle was not stolen as alleged.  

Also, Rajus Electronics should have reported the matter to the Protec Security rather than the Central Police.  The head of Protec, Kumarr was furious because Rujus Electronics’ action is inconsistent with the terms of the contract between two business entities. The representative of the security company rejected the allegation made against Alie. He told the Board’s paralegal Ibrahim Kallon that Alie has worked for the security company for over three years and has a very clean record. 

By; Joseph Dumbuya

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