Skip to main content

Legal Aid secures 3 discharges from Ross Road Court


The Sierra Leone Legal Aid Board secured discharges for three accused persons who were standing trial at the Ross Road High Court on Tuesday, July 26. The accused persons were charged with very serious offences ranging from manslaughter to robbery with violence and wounding with intent.  
One of the accused, Sorie Sesay was charged with Manslaughter and had been in detention, most of the time on remand, since he was arrested on 13 June 2015 and taken to the Kissy Mess Mess Police Station for allegedly murdering one Ismael Turay of Wellington. The case against him was committed to the High Court in January 2016 were he made eleven appearances before his discharge.
Mohamed Conteh was charged with robbery with violence and had been on remand since his arrested in July 2015. He is alleged to have robbed one Fatmata Bunduka of valuables and money to the tune of five hundred thousand leones (Le500, 000). He was discharged after six appearances at the High Court.
Umaru Bangura on the other hand was charged with wounding with intent. He was accused of wounding one Fuad Conteh in a manner to do him grievous bodily harm. Umaru had been in detention following his arrested in June 2015. He was consequently charged to court and remanded at the Pademba Road Correctional Center until his release for want of prosecution.
The lawyers for the Legal Aid Board who were representing the accused persons had made an application for the discharge of the accused persons for want of prosecution. The Lawyers had argued that since the inception of the cases at the High Court no prosecution witness had testified against the accused. Justice Momoja Steven of the Ross Road High Court granted the application and the accused persons were discharged accordingly.

The Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles has welcomed the discharges describing them as a key step towards promoting access to justice. ‘Keeping accused persons on remand without any prosecution witness to testify in their matter is a serious challenge to the justice delivery system,’ she said.   ‘Some complainants abandoned their cases no sooner the accused is detained and the matter is charged to court leaving the accused to endure endless adjournments. This is something the justice system should look at very seriously. It does not bode well for our human rights record.’

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Legal Aid partners adopt Bye-Laws for Citizens Advisory Bureau

Members of the Citizens Advisory Bureau Working Committee have adopted the Bye-Laws for the soon-to-established Citizens Advisory Bureau (CAB) at a meeting at the AFRICELL Office on Bathurst Street in Freetown on Tuesday. The Committee was put together at a stakeholders’ workshop on June 9 at the Atlantic Hall of the National Stadium Hostels to educate and discuss ideas about the Bureau which will offer Alternative Dispute Resolution, Mediation and Referral services in the community.  The meeting was convened under the auspices of the Sierra Leone Legal Aid Board. It attracted twelve Tribal Headmen from the Western Area, Councilors from the Western Area Urban and Rural District Councils and representatives of the Sierra Leone Police, the Sierra Leone Correctional Service, National Youth Commission and civil society groups. The Consultant for the meeting, Madam Memunata Pratt from the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, Fourah Bay College led the discussions on t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Introduction to the Sierra Leone Legal Aid Board

Sierra Leone Legal Aid Board  Introduction Access to a well-funded legal aid scheme is key to the attainment of justice for the poor, marginalized and disadvantaged, though in some circumstances other categories of highly placed persons or professional may require it. Globally many countries around the world have invested in programs and interventions on providing free legal aid services to its citizens. The UN member states have thus accepted that legal aid schemes must not only be optional but should be a key component of national legal justice systems. The UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Vienna adopted a resolution on "access to legal aid in criminal justice systems". The resolution adopts a set of "Principles and Guidelines" designed to ensure that access to legal information, advice and assistance is available to all through the provision of legal aid—thus realizing rights for the poor and marginalized and entrenching one ...
1 comment
Read more

LEGAL AID BOARD

Legal Aid Board Sierra Leone 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 inc...
Post a Comment
Read more