By Nasratu Kargbo
Sierra Leone’s Judiciary will today 31st January 2022 commence the review of cases for One thousand and Thirteen (1,013) inmates across the country. The process is expected to end on the 4th of February, 2022 according to a press release by the Judiciary.
Highlighting the specifics, the release states that out of the 1,013 inmates, one hundred and eleven (111) inmates were incarcerated without indictment whilst five hundred and thirty-two also remain in detention with no admission to bail for offences that are possibly bailable.
Due to lack of empaneled jurors, one hundred and thirty-eight (138) inmates are on prolonged adjournment, forty-seven (47) were serving “unjustifiable and disproportionate sentences from Magistrates with no Summary Review application in their favor” and one hundred and eighty-one (181) are on bail but cannot fulfill their bail conditions in order to secure a release.
According to the release, 26 Judges will be deployed nationwide to look into the cases. The reviews will be held in the prison courts outside the correctional facilities with those having no indictments being given the opportunity for their cases to be dealt with expeditiously or as the “justice of the case may require”.
The Judiciary announced a one-week nationwide recess, wherein all other court matters will not be heard “except for those matters to be dealt with during this judicial week”. All courts across the country will be engaged as Judges will be using them to expedite the process.
The decision according to the statement was made after a stakeholders meeting which involved the Judiciary, Sierra Leone Correctional Service, Legal Aid Board, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, and the Sierra Leone Police, where they discovered that a lot of inmates have issues that bother around access to justice.
During the weekly press briefing held on the 20th January 2022 at the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Supreme Court Registrar Lansana Kottor Kamara explained that it is not the responsibility of the judiciary to offer indictment and has no obligation in that regard, noting that the Office of the Attorney General and Chief Justice is entirely responsible for indictment.
According to Kamara, they have observed that there is a gap within the criminal justice system and that the judicial week will look into issues of right to justice creating the platform for inmates to be brought before judges, addressing issues of prolonged adjournment, amongst others.
The Access to Justice Week is also aimed at decongesting the correctional centre’s across the country.
Copyright © 2022 Politico Online (31/01/22)
