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The Legal Aid Board Sierra Leone has held a maiden meeting with Executives of the Inter Religious Council Sierra Leone, highlighting terms of partnership and other issues. The meeting took place at the offices of the Inter Religious Council of Sierra Leone, Walpole Street in Freetown.   In a power point presentation, the Executive Director, Legal Aid Board Sierra Leone, Mrs Clare Carlton-Hanciles informed the Inter Religious Council Executives of the activities and achievements of the Board. She said that the Board has the mandate to give free legal representation to indigent in the 149 chiefdoms in Sierra Leone, and that the Board is independent. She also gave the statistics of cases spanning September 2015 to February 2016. Rev Usamn J. Fornah and other members of the Inter Religious Council expressed their delight at the amazing work the Board has done considering the very short time the had existed, and pledged their uncompromised support for the work of the Bo...

Legal Aid Board: Breaking new grounds in the Justice Sector  Joseph Dumbuya T here is a familiar saying in FAWE (Forum for African Women Educationalist) circles which goes like this: “The reward for hard work is more work’. This holds true for the Legal Aid Board.   Even though there is empirical evidence to suggest a lot has been achieved in less than ten months of existence, people just can’t stop asking for more, which shows people have confidence in the Board. I have had the opportunity of attending some of the meetings and workshops of the Board especially those with civil society groups. I am encouraged at the goodwill of ordinary people to see the Board succeed. They wish government could just pour a lot more resources into its operations. But this goodwill is at a price. They expect the organization to address most, if not all of the challenges plaguing the Justice Sector and even go beyond its remit. Expectedly, this was on sh...

Legal Aid Board has held a Legal Aid Prevention meeting with Executives of the Ordehlay Union, at the Africel American Hall, at Bathurst Street, in Freetown. Members of the Ordehlay Union expressed their excitement to meet with the Legal Aid Board, having heard so much about the Board’s work. Among other things, the issue of clique activities in the different communities was discussed.  It was generally perceived that clique groups were members of ordehlay groups, a charge which the ordehley union members vehemently denied. They called on the Legal Aid Board to continue in their quest to change lives in society, especially the under privileged who get into conflict of the law, and pledged their loyalty to the Board and its mandate. Present were representatives from Civilly Rule of Kroo Bay, Bloody Mary, Arie Momgbeh of Cassel Farm, Kissy, Seven Eleven of Kroo Town Road, Bolo Binneh of Portee, Eastern Paddle, Fire Stone, Arie Pachanga, Arie Fourah Bay, Lorda Masi, Tet...

Legal aid is a pivotal element of a fair, humane and efficient criminal justice system that is based on the rule of law. International law and standards are crystal clear on the fact that states should ensure a comprehensive legal aid system that is accessible, effective, sustainable, and credible so that justice can be accessible to all. Sierra Leone is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which provides for the right to fair trial and legal aid in Article 14(3) (d). The Sierra Leone Constitution also provides for this right in Sections 23 and 25.  Sierra Leone passed the Legal Aid Act in May 2012, thus establishing the Sierra Leone Legal Aid Board (LAB) which is an independent organ with an objective of providing legal aid nationwide. The Board’s core functions include the provision of legal information and education, provision of legal advice and legal representation in the court of law. Its functions further include the provision of legal ai...

The Legal Aid Board has advocated the released of over one hundred and sixty indigents from September 2015 to date. Yesterday, nine youths, including one physically challenged, who were held for different crimes, ranging from robbery with aggravation to sexual penetration, were released at various High Courts in Freetown. Ibrahim Bangura Today, two indigents were discharged at the High Court by Justice Konoyima. Ibrahim Bangura was charged burglary and larceny. He spent three years and four months on remand. presently sick and needs medical attention. Ibrahim Conteh Ibrahim Conteh was charged with wounding with intent, after being hit by a car and became unconscious, where other people who were present at the scene interrogated the driver and injured him. The driver rushed to the police station and reported, and this young man was arrested partially conscious of what was going on.  And he also spent three years and fou...

Nine youths, including one physically challenged, who were held for different crimes, ranging from robbery with aggravation to sexual penetration, were released at various High Courts in Freetown.  Three were released by Justice Fofanah, three by Justice Alusine Sesay, two by Justice Musu Kamara and one by Justice Alhaji  Stevens at the Ross Road High Court. They were released as a result of applications for discharge for want of prosecution, made by Legal Aid Board Lawyers . By Derek Nat-George Head of Media and Public Relations Legal Aid Board Sierra Leone

The Executive Director, Legal Aid Board Sierra Leone, Mrs. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles, has held a very meaningful meeting with the Council of Tribal Heads in Sierra Leone. She noted that justice was not prevalent at the lower class in Sierra Leone and pointed out that most of the witnesses do not appear in the courts when cases are called. That, she said, has kept a lot of innocent people in jails without trial, thereby destroying their lives. The meeting witnessed the processing of seven youths released from different courts in Freetown. Six youths who were held for different crimes, ranging from wounding to larceny, were released at the High Court by Justice Sam Margai. Five were released on an application for a discharge for want of prosecution by Legal Aid Lawyers, Cecelia Tucker and Contract Lawyer who applied for the sixth one. A seventh was released by Justice Samba on an application for a discharge for want of prosecution made by Legal Aid Lawyer, Cheryl Blake....

The Legal Aid Board and the Attorney General has met with Civil Society organizations in Freetown. It was agreed that all Legal Aid Agencies should work hand in hand with the Board and the Office of the Attorney General to be able to create maximum impact. Effective monitoring of released prisoners, rampant police violation of people’s rights, and information shearing about the work of the Board, were of serious concern. The Attorney General called for total cooperation in the search for the symptoms of the problems in the judicial system, to be able to be able to inject the correct antidote to effectively clean up the judicial system.

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  The Legal Aid Board in concert with the Attorney General The Legal Aid Board in concert with the Attorney General has met with Civil Society organizations in Freetown. It was agreed that all Legal Aid Agencies should work hand in hand with the Board and the Office of the Attorney General to be able to create maximum impact in the judicial system. The Executive Director Mrs Claire Carlton-Hanciles said that the mandate of the Legal Aid Board is to bring Justice to the people at community level. She gave an insight to the formation of Citizens Advisory Bureaus in all wards in the country, to be championed by the Ward Councillor, and said that the Bureaus will be dealing with trivial matters in their communities to avoid overwhelming the police and the courts with such matters that could be dealt with at community level. The Attorney General called for total cooperation in the search for the symptoms of the problems in the judicial system, to be able to inject the corr...

T he Legal Aid Board Sierra Leone has held a sensitization meeting on the formation of Citizen’s Advisory Bureaus in all Wards in the Freetown municipality.  The meeting took place at the Mayor’s Parlor, Freetown City Council, Wallace Johnson Street. Present were the Mayor of Freetown and the 49 Councillors. Mrs Claire Fatmata Carlton Hanciles, Executive Director, Legal Aid Board Sierra Leone lauded the partnership between the Legal Aid Board and the Freetown City Council, for the Civil mandate they have to resolve issues, some of which are debt relief, land and tenant, and family and neighbourhood disputes. She spoke about the formation of Citizen’s Advisory Bureaus which will comprise retired senior citizens. The Bureaus Mrs Hanciles said, will conduct daily sessions to deal with these matters in their Wards. The Councillors, she said, would have to take the lead to maintain the Bureaus in their Wards, while the retired senior citizens who will be conducting the sessions, wi...