LEGAL AID BOARD AND THE COMMUNITY

THE BOARD ENGAGES THE FOURRAH BAY COMMUNITY ON NON VIOLENCE AND RESPECT OF THE LAW.

The Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Mrs. Claire Carlton-Hanciles has told members of the Fourah Bay Community that the scheme does not provide legal representation for repeated offenders and those who take the law into their own hands such as those behind the recent violence in the community.

Claire Fatmata Carlton-Hanciles (Mrs.)
Executive Director - Legal Aid Board

‘We will not provide legal services to those who are being tried as a result of the recent violence that rocked the Fourah Bay Community. What we have done is organize this event in the community to reconcile its members so as to heal the wounds left behind’ Mrs. Carlton-Hanciles emphasized.

She made this remark at an outreach event at the Fourah Bay Field on Saturday, 12 December 2015 after the community leaders disclosed they have not forgiven the police for the highhanded response to a recent football match which ended in violence.

As part of the Alternative Dispute Resolution initiative of the Board, Mrs. Carlton-Hanciles called on the Fourah Bay Community to let bygones be bygones and work with the Police for the peace and security of the community.

The community leaders had castigated the police for always picking on the community and were particularly furious at the decision to detain for three days one of the community leaders who had gone to the Ross Road Police Station to deliver a letter on the recent violence on behalf of the community.

The Community leaders blamed the violence on outsiders which they said took place in the Dan Street Area an hour after the match. They described the community as one that is peaceful and prides itself with settling matters within the community and using the Courts as last resort.

However, the chairman of the event, Alhaji Muctarr Williams sounded a reconciliatory note saying the community will welcome mediation from the Legal Aid Board to have the matter resolved.

Mrs. Carlton-Hanciles stressed the need for the community to be at peace with the police. “I understand how you are feeling regarding the manner the police handled the violence in the community but I want you to let bygones be bygones. The police need your cooperation for you to enjoy peace and security. Where there is a right there is a duty. If this matter is not resolved people will become potential future clients of the Legal Aid Board and we do not want that to happen’ Mrs. Carlton-Hanciles said.

She told the community people to bear in mind that investigations are a complex business more so those relating to violence. ‘Many a time innocent people suffer before the investigations are complete through no fault of the police. Unfortunately these things do happen. We can avoid this by living within the law’ she said.

She noted that the Board cannot afford to provide a lawyer for everybody as such it is embarking on legal education through outreach because it is cheap.

‘We will step up our outreach programs in the new year. We will visit your mosques and churches with our messages’ she noted. ‘When the suspension of your league is lifted, which I will speak to the community leaders about, we will welcome the idea of speaking to the teams’ she added.

Earlier on the Head of Community Relations in the Sierra Leone Police, Assistant Superintendent Bangura said they are not happy to have people sent to prison but have a duty to enforce the law so that people can live in peace. He reminded the people that the police officers come from the community and assured them that they will always ensure they are safe as they go about their normal business.

He spoke of the threat to security by mushrooming cliques and ghettoes. Some of the ghettoes he noted are used as brothels to abuse women. He appealed to the community to help the police by not harboring criminals and bad people.

Speaking on future plans for the Fourah Bay Community, Mrs. Carlton-Hanciles told her audience that the scheme will open a Citizens’ Advice Bureau in the New Year to advice people on a host of issues and do referrals to the Ministries of Labour and Social Welfare, Anti-Corruption Commission, Office of the Ombudsman and the Legal Aid Board as the case may be.

“The Bureau will advice you on issues relating to unlawful dismissal, tenants and landlords, domestic violence, family issues, support for school children at the verge of dropping out of school and other minor issues’ Mrs. Carlton-Hanciles noted.

Additional plans for the community will include the recruiting and training of Paralegals from the community to provide legal advice, monitor police stations and the Courts and engage in civic education.

‘The Paralegals will assist in promoting justice in the community so as to avert the ugly incident we had recently which saw a breakdown in law and order at the end of a football match’ Mrs. Carlton-Hanciles added.

Mrs. Carlton-Hanciles had time to educate the people on the mandate of the Board and also gave updates on its activities since May 2015 when it started operation. She spoken on efforts at both national and international level to have the government establish the Board to ensure poor people like them are not disadvantaged in accessing justice.

She also drew attention to the fact that while the police investigate, charge and prosecute cases in the Magistrate Court and State Counsels prosecute those in the High Court, those who are poor and cannot afford a lawyer to defend them have been suffering in silent. “The Legal Aid Board is here to correct this anomaly and protect people like you’ Mrs. Carlton-Hanciles stressed.

She also spoke on human rights issues around chronic overcrowding at the Pademba Road Correctional Center. She noted that the Board is providing legal services to over 500 cases in the September 2015 Session of the High Court. Also, the Board is working with the Office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to seek justice for 326 cases, some of who have been on remand since 2006.

“We have six In-House and 26 Contracted Lawyers to service our clients. So far, we have secured the release of 78 accused persons since the commencement of the September Session of the High Court’ Mrs. Carlton-Hanciles disclosed.

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MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR

As a Lawyer who has practiced in Sierra Leone before joining the international tribunal, the Special Court for Sierra Leone, I have seen firsthand how accused persons had to endure countless adjournments and months on remand due to lack of legal advice and representation.

My experience working with the Sierra Leone Legal Aid Board since its establishment in May 2015 has broadened my understanding of the depth of the challenges plaguing the formal and traditional justice systems.

I have visited overcrowded prisons and police cells around the country. I have seen many accused persons literally abandoned in prison either because they cannot secure a bail or have not been with an indictment. Some have spent more time in remand than the maximum sentence for the crimes they are alleged to have committed. I have seen victims of domestic violence, rape and discrimination on the basis of gender resort to divine intervention because they cannot afford the cost of accessing justice.

I have seen powerful self-styled local lawyers run the show in the local/traditional courts and in the process abuse the rights of people and the Local Court Act 2011.

We have engaged and canvassed the views of agencies in the justice sector, Parliamentarians and non-governmental organizations. The interest in and expectations of the organization are heartwarming but also breathtaking.

This is what drives our commitment to deliver on our mandate to make justice accessible to those who have been left out because they are poor. For a start, we will deploy Paralegals in Police Stations in the capital and the 149 chiefdoms in the country to monitor Local Courts to ensure their activities are consistent with national laws and international human rights standards. Also, we will hire 100 Lawyers to provide free legal services to our clients.

This is without doubt a tall order considering the organization is new and the resources at its disposal are far from being adequate. We are convinced with support from the government, donors and well-wishers we can make a world of difference in the lives of ordinary people and in the process contribute to restoring much needed confidence in the justice system.

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