Skip to main content

LAB urge new judge to reduce overcrowding in prisons

LAB urge new judge to reduce overcrowding in prisons

Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles has urged the outgoing Legal Aid Manager of the Legal Aid Board, Mr. Ansumana Ivan Sesay to take advantage of the proposed Bail and Sentencing Guidelines to reduce the overcrowding in the prisons.  ‘The proposed Bail and Sentencing Guidelines are very good; we believe if it is interpreted to the letter the prison population will reduce considerably,’ she said.  
Ms. Carlton-Hanciles lamented that far too many of the Board’s clients charged with minor offences like loitering and ‘mammy cuss’ are denied bail on very trivial ground and where they do it is very difficult to find sureties.
She thanked Justice Sesay for the exemplary leadership while serving the Board. ‘We will miss your humility, energy and passion to seek justice for accused persons,’ she said. ‘Be assured the Board lawyers you have trained will continue in your footsteps.’ 
Mr. Ansumana Ivan Sesay was among ten senior lawyers sworn-in as High Court Judges by the Chief Justice of the Republic of Sierra Leone today, July 14 at the Law Court Building in Freetown. The swearing-in follows their approval by Parliament on July 5.
Earlier in the day, the Chief Justice of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Justice Abdulai Charm described the timing of the appointment as crucial in the sense that the ongoing reforms are meant to restore public confidence in the judiciary. ‘So far we are doing well, we hope you will add value to the judiciary,’ he said. ‘Integrity is the key to your work.’
Justice Charm called on family and friends of the new judges to help them do their job and not pressure them into compromising justice. He noted that most of the pressures come from friends and family and not from above. ‘Please do not attempt it,’ he warned.
 He thanked the government for making it possible to appoint more judges which he underlined will make the work lighter and speedy.


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 secures the discharge of Port Loko child

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...
Post a Comment
Read more