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Legal Aid secures the discharge of Port Loko child The Sierra Leone Legal Aid Board has secured the discharge of a fourteen (14) year school boy from Port Loko. The boy was arrested on 10 August 2016 for house breaking. He was kept in police cell for twenty days before the matter was charged to court. He spent time on remand at the Prison in Port Loko before the Magistrate transferred his case to the juvenile court in Freetown on September 3. Whilst in Freetown, he was remanded at the Dems Juvenile Home in Kingtom. Lawyer for the Legal Aid Board, Joel Deen-Tarawally represented him in Court. He made an application for the matter to be discharged for want of prosecution pursuant to Section 94 of the Criminal Procedure Act of 1965. He told the court that the complainant had appeared in court once despite several adjournments. He argued that it is unfair to continue to keep the offender in detention in a matter the complainant has not taken seriously. The applica

The Director of the Sierra Leone Legal Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles has reacted furiously to the remand of three juvenile offenders at the Pademba Road Correctional Center for nearly two months. She raised the alarm after the Legal Aid Board secured their release on bail on Tuesday, 18 October 2016. ‘I have no idea why the boys were not remanded at the Dems Juvenile Remand Home at Kingtom in Freetown,’ she said. ‘Assuming the Home is full, the best interest of the children should have been given primacy by granting  them bail rather than remanding them at the Pademba Road Correctional Center.’ Ms. Carlton-Hanciles noted that the lack or inadequacy of detention facilities for children is a serious challenge facing the justice sector. She also lamented the stress juvenile offenders are being subjected to, having to travel long distances to attend court sittings.  ‘Our paralegals are grappling with these problems all over the country, whether it is in Port Loko in the

Legal Aid praise peaceful nature of launch in Bo. The Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles has praised the people of Bo city for coming out in their thousands to grace the launch of the Legal Aid Office in Bo. The Director was particularly impressed with the peaceful manner the people conducted themselves. ‘Even though we had in the audience people from different political parties and shades of opinion, the launch passed off without any incident,’ she said. ‘There was plenty of drumming and dancing and most importantly the message went down very well. Everybody appreciate what the Board is doing and happy to work with us’ The Executive Director had this to say regarding the statements made by stakeholders including civil society, the Sierra Leone Motor Drivers Union and the Traders Council: ‘None of the speakers was critical of our operations or independence,’ she said. The Executive Director rubbished rumours peddled by cynics

  The Bo branch of the Legal Aid Board has been launched amongst thunderous applause at the Coronation Fields, Bo town. Thousands of school children, women’ and men’s groups, and traditional dancers marched through the streets of Bo town, to welcome legal aid into Bo, Kakua. Chairman for the occasion, Executive Director RADA Sierra Leone, Mr Augustine Robinson said that Saturday 8 th October was a very important day to the people of Bo. It was the day that Justice knocked at the doors of the people of Bo District, and the due process of the rights of individuals becomes effective in their lives, in the history of Kakua. Updating guests on the activities of the Bo branch of the Legal Aid Board, the Residents Defence Counsels, Bo District, Mamakoh Betty Kallon and Mohamed Bawoh, gave a rundown of both discharged and ongoing matters in the courts in Bo. The ongoing matters, the Lawyers said, ranges from Simple Larceny to Sexual offences. They revealed that they cover

Legal Aid mediates between crop and cattle farmers in Port Loko The Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles has called on stakeholders in Port Loko District to come up with home grown solutions to the problem between cattle herders and crop farmers in the district. She made this remark while addressing aggrieved parties and stakeholders including five paramount chiefs, the Chairman of the Port Loko District Council, the President of the National Framer Federation and the District Director of Agriculture in Masiaka on Tuesday, 27 September 2016. ‘For some of these cases, the answers are not in the courts,’ Ms. Carlton-Hanciles told her audience. ‘We will work with stakeholders to promote peace and security in the community.’ Ms. Carlton-Hanciles pointed out that the Board does not have lawyers to provide legal assistance to all those who qualify for legal aid. ‘This is why we will be training paralegals from the community in the near futu

Legal Aid mediates between crop and cattle farmers in Port Loko The Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles has called on stakeholders in Port Loko District to come up with home grown solutions to the problem between cattle herders and crop farmers in the district. She made this remark while addressing aggrieved parties and stakeholders including five paramount chiefs, the Chairman of the Port Loko District Council, the President of the National Framer Federation and the District Director of Agriculture in Masiaka on Tuesday, 27 September 2016. ‘For some of these cases, the answers are not in the courts,’ Ms. Carlton-Hanciles told her audience. ‘We will work with stakeholders to promote peace and security in the community.’ Ms. Carlton-Hanciles pointed out that the Board does not have lawyers to provide legal assistance to all those who qualify for legal aid. ‘This is why we will be training paralegals from the community in the near fu

Legal Aid meets Kenema stakeholders By Santigie Kamara The Mayor of Kenema City, Joseph S Kaifala, has on Tuesday 26 th 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

Legal Aid hosts cattle herders and farmers today The Sierra Leone Legal Aid Board will this morning bring together cattle herders on one hand and landowners and farmers on the other in the Port Loko District to a meeting in Masiaka in an attempt to mediate a long standing conflict between the two groups. This is the first time the Board is mediating a dispute involving such a matter under its Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanism (ADR). It is also the first time it is mediating between very large groups with those affected running into the thousands. The Board’s intervention is in response to reports from the Legal Aid Board lawyer, Mohamed Korie regarding the large number of cases of stealing and killing of cattle in the courts in the Port Loko District. These incidents are common in the Buya Romende, Marampa, Koya and Masimra chiefdoms in the district. ‘The Magistrate Court in Masiaka Town has over 25 cases involving stealing and killing of cattle,’ Korie said.

I am humbled to host you this morning as we mark a milestone in the operations of the Legal Aid Board.  It has been a long and arduous journey.  Some of you here present including the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Hon. Joseph Kamara have invested in this journey. I believe you will be very proud at what we have achieved together. When we started operations in May 2015, we were in no illusion about the expectations the scheme will invoke among the poor and vulnerable who are usually disadvantaged in access justice because they do not understand how the formal court system works and more importantly because they cannot afford a lawyer. What we were least prepared for, was the level of expectation among those who are well off and therefore can afford to hire a lawyer. I remember distinctly our first engagements with Members of Parliament in June 2015. The meeting was meant to explain our mandate and operations and lobby for support to the scheme especially in the ar

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 shock

Legal Aid meet with Trusted Partners to increase access to justice The Sierra Leone Legal Aid Board had its first meeting with proposed Trusted Partners in civil society in the conference hall of the Sierra Leone Labour Congress on Tuesday, August 30.  The Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles told representatives of thirty civil organizations including Ordehlay Union, Ojeh Council, Central One Football Association (COFA), Traditional Healers and Ataya Base Union that they will be empowered to increase access to justice to members of their respective organizations as part of the campaign ‘Scaling Up Access to Justice Leaving No One Behind’. ‘This will reduce the pressure on the police and the courts,’ she said. ‘We will invite all the proposed Trusted Partners including those of you here to a meeting in the coming weeks to sensitize you on what ‘Trusted Partners in Law and Order’ means and what we expect of you.’ Ms. Carlton-Hanciles ad

Legal Aid to launch Access to Justice campaign The Sierra Leone Legal Aid Board in collaboration with the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice will launch the ‘Scaling Up Access to Justice Leaving No One Behind’ campaign at an elaborate ceremony on Thursday, September 8 in the forecourt of the Guma Building on Lamina Sankoh Street in Freetown. The campaign which is expected to attract over 120 civil society organizations will be launched by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Hon. Joseph Kamara.  According to the Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles, the Attorney General has been honoured with launching the campaign for ensuring remand inmates who had been literally forgotten at the Pademba Road Correctional Center are served indictments.   Ms. Carlton-Hanciles said the campaign will impact everybody regardless of location and status. ‘We have been expanding our presence upcountry since August and the launch w

African Youth Network award AG and Legal Aid In marking this year’s World Humanitarian Day, the African Youth and Children’s Network  (AYCN) has recognized the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Hon. Joseph Kamara, the Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles and Defence Counsel of the Legal Aid Board Cecilia Tucker for promoting access to justice. The National Coordinator for the Network, Alusine Bangura gave a short background to August 19 which is the date designated by the United Nations to honour aid workers who have lost their  lives in bringing relief to those caught up in crises around the world. Alusine said he is aware of the good work of the Board in providing legal assistance to the poor and less privileged especially young people. ‘I hope you continue to do more,’ he said. ‘We do not have money to give your organization but we can provide support in other areas.’ He praised the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice,

There were a total of 157 cases in the different courts; 120 cases in the High Court, 31 in the Magistrate courts and 6 in the Juvenile court. Out of a total of 232 indigents, 211 were male adults and 15 were female adults, 6 were male Juveniles and no female juveniles. Only 1 male adult was acquitted and discharged. 4 male adults were discharged for want of prosecution. 1 male adult was sentenced. 1 matter was committed to the High Court. There were three closed files as a result of revelations that they had private representations, which disqualified them as indigents. The acquitted and discharged indigent according to professions was a trader. The discharged indigents according to professions were 2 Security Workers, 1 Pupil and 1 Common Carrier (Wheelbarrow Pusher) The Acquitted and Discharged person was charged with Larceny in a Dwelling House. The Discharged persons were charged with the following crimes: 1 for Sexual Penetration, 2 for Conspiracy and Larceny and 1 for

Sorie Sesay is among the first set of clients of the Legal Aid Board to benefit from the partnership with the National Farmers Federation. The two had their first meeting on 14 July 2016 in which a cross section of the Executive of the Federation offered to assist with the reintegration of beneficiaries by providing them jobs on their farms. Sorie is proud for the opportunity to rebuild his life after spending three years and three months on remand at the Pademba Road Correctional Center on allegation of unlawful canal knowledge. The Board secured his discharge on 16 May 2016. Like many beneficiaries of the scheme, with no source of livelihood the transition into mainstream society had been tough for him. So, when the opportunity came, he grabbed it. Following the publication in the newspapers about the assistance the Federation is offering to beneficiaries of the scheme, Sorie wasted no time in rushing to the head office of the Board on Guma Building to declare his intere

Summary of Court Activities for the Week Ending Saturday 6 th August 2016 There were a total of 165 cases in the different courts; 125 cases in the High Court, 31 in the Magistrate courts and 9 in the Juvenile court. Out of a total of 235 indigents, 218 were male adults and 8 were female adults, 7 were male Juveniles and 5were female juveniles. Only 1 male adult was discharged as a result of sentenced and time served and only 1 male adult was put on bail. No cases were committed to the High Court there were no sentences. There were two closed files as a result of revelations that they had private representations, which disqualified them as indigents. The discharged indigents according to professions was a trader. The discharged person was charged with Wounding with Intent. In this matters, the accused person had spent more than time to be served. Consequently, after sentencing, the accused person was discharged pursuant to the relevant sections of the Constitution and

Michael, 20 is one of over seven hundred beneficiaries of legal aid in 2016. Michael’s case is unique. He is the second known beneficiary of the scheme to reoffend. The first known case is Amidu Bangura, 35.  He was charged with wounding with intent in June 2006 and spent nearly ten years on remand before the Legal Aid Board secured his discharge for want of prosecution on 30 March 2016.  Amidu reoffended and was arrested in June 2016 and detained at the Pademba Road Correctional Center for involving in a fight which left the other party sustaining serious injuries. In this instance, Amidu was not a priority to the Board because legal assistance is provided on a first come first serve basis. This means he has to wait until the hundreds of remand detainees needing legal aid are served first.   But as the heavens could have it, the police did not press charges against him. Michael was a test case for the Board. This is because the Board has to deal with an issue outside its ma