With financial support from United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Judiciary of Sierra Leone under the leadership of the Chief Justice, Desmond Babatunde Edwards, has embarked on massive public education programs on judicial reforms and the roles of stakeholders in the effective implementation of the Constitutional Instrument No. 5 of 2018 or commonly called Bail Regulations, 2018.
According to the Public Relations Officer of the Judiciary of Sierra Leone, Moses Lamin Kamara, the Chief Justice strongly believes that Section 120 Subsection (3) of the 1991 Constitution makes provision for the Judiciary to be subjected and accountable to the people of the country, noting that the ongoing public education on judicial reforms and the content and full implementation of the Bail Policy was purposely designed in connection to the aforesaid constitutional provision.
Mr. Kamara said the United Nations Development Program has been very supportive in ensuring that cases are tried expeditiously and the rights of accused persons are observed.
He revealed that UNDP secured the aforesaid through the training of judges, magistrates and judicial staff on Case Management, Bail and Sentencing Regulations, provided office equipment like photocopiers and others as requested and also fully supports the operations of the Office of the Public Relations.
He said the Judiciary under the leadership of Chief Justice Edwards, has gone through lots of reforms including the national distribution and full implementation of the Bail Regulations, creating more High Court rooms by relocating all Magistrate Courts from the Main Law Court Building to the Pademba Road Court, recruitment of one Court of Appeal Judges, seven High Court Judges and also the promotion of four Court of Appeal Judges to Supreme Court, two High Court Judges to Court of Appeal and one Magistrate to High Court Judge.
Upon assuming office, Chief Justice Edwards visited the Male Correctional Center that was hosting over two thousand inmates where he held frank discussion with them and assured them of his commitment to expeditious and fair trial as stated in section 23 of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone.
Keeping to his words, the Hon. Chief Justice instituted for the first time UNDP funded Out-door Prison Court in which two thousand inmates limited to those without indictments, on judgement reserved, prolong adjournment, mentally deranged etc. countrywide, had the opportunity to appear before judges and presented their plights.
Forty-seven (47) of the longest serving inmates were released on habeas corpus applications and others were put on bail, discharged and acquitted and discharged.
These activities decongested the Male and Female Correctional Centers from over two thousand inmates to one thousand, six hundred and sixty-six inmates including those running sentence.
Mr. Kamara further revealed that the United Nations Development Program funded the Special Sessions in Moyamba, Port Loko and Kono in which two hundred and eleven criminal verdicts were delivered in eleven days.
Mr. Kamara said the Judicial and Legal Training Institute of the Judiciary of Sierra Leone has conducted several UNDP funded trainings including trainings on the usages and application of version two of the Justice App, Case Management, Bail and Sentencing etc.
He said all those trainings conducted aim at strengthening unhindered access to justice and expeditious trial for all in Sierra Leone.
Chief Justice Takes Judicial Education to the Provinces
