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Legal Aid meets Kenema stakeholders

Legal Aid meets Kenema stakeholders
By Santigie Kamara
The Mayor of Kenema City, Joseph S Kaifala, has on Tuesday 26th September 2016 showered praises on the role of Legal Aid   Board in Sierra Leone, adding that they are making it possible for those who could not afford to hire the service of a lawyer to access justice.
Mayor Kaifala made this disclosure to the indigenes of Kenema and it immediate environs while serving as the Chairman of the occasion at the District Council Hall during an engagement Legal Aid Board had with stakeholders in that part of the country.
He informed the gathering that the Legal Aid Board is one of the greatest opportunities the government of President Koroma has done for those who could not afford to hire the services of a lawyer.
Mayor Kaifala informed the gathering that quite a considerable number of people in Kenema City and beyond lost their cases in the court of law because in the past, they could not afford to hire the services of legal representation.
“It is a great blessing for us to have the Legal Aid Board in Kenema City,” he said, adding that the most burning issue that is affecting them is the indiscriminate manner in which Commercial Motorcycle Riders are being charged to court and incarcerated in jail for minor offences.
Mayor Joseph S. Kaifala affirmed that when Commercial Motorcycle Riders are found guilty in court, most of them could not afford to pay the whooping amounts of Six hundred thousand Leones imposed on them as a fine which is why they had to serve their jail sentences in most cases.
He made it clear that there is a provision in the Road Traffic Act for minimal fines for traffic offences, noting that the Legal Aid Board should step in and mediate between the police and the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority on one hand and the Commercial Motorcycle Riders on the other hand to explore alternative sentencing. ‘Traffic offenders could be asked to pay a minimal amount when tickets are issued to them,’ Mayor Kaifala said.
The head of Legal Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles informed the gathering that when President Koroma attended the UN Summit in New York recently, he informed the world body about the stance taken by his government to address access to justice. She affirmed that Legal Aid Board was formed by an Act of Parliament in a bid to attend to community problems and settle disputes amicably between disputing parties.
Ms. Carlton–Hanciles said  certain disputes should not be in court because they are minor matters that ought to be addressed at community level by stakeholders. She catalogued the role they are playing with the support of the government of President Koroma, adding that there are loads of cases in the respective courts and they must support the law.
Paramount Chief of Jawai Chiefdom, G.  Kallon expressed appreciation about the presence of Legal Aid Board in Kenema District and other parts of the country, noting that it will mitigate the crime rates that has already eclipsed his Chiefdom. The Paramount Chief assured of his support, adding that his door is opened to the Board and he will inform his subjects accordingly about the progress.
The Assistant Inspector General of Police Eastern Region, Alfred Karrow Kamara said the idea of Legal Aid is not a new phenomenon in the world. He dilated extensively on the merits people will derive form the Board, pointing out that it will help them immensely in addressing minor matters that are flooding the court rooms.
The Commanding Officer of Kenema battalion, Major Katta also spoke about the importance of Legal Aid Board in that part of the country and how it will improve on the justice sector.
The Provisional Secretary East, George Penykie said the Board will help to look into issues that have the propensity of escalating to conflict. He assured all of their support to the Board, noting that so many organizations have sprout up and vanished into the thin air. Penykie expressed optimism that the Legal Aid Board will stand the test of time.
The programme was climaxed with questions, discussions and contributions from the participants who pledged their unflinching support to the Board.

By: Joseph Dumbuya

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