By Musa Paul Feika
The Deputy Leader One of the All Peoples Congress (APC) Party, Hon. Daniel Koroma has called for the return of the Jury System of dispensing justice and appealed to President Bio to bring it back to the Court System.
Hon. Koroma made the plea on Tuesday, 27th August, 2024 at the Bintumani Conference Centre during a Town Hall meeting organized by the Ministry of Information and Civic Education (MoICE) on peace and national cohesion.
The deputy leader encouraged every Sierra Leone to take part in relaying this call to President Bio.
He said in his capacity as Deputy Leader of the opposition party, he is confident that President Bio will not append his signature to the Bill regarding the removal of the jury system in our law books. He described the President Bio as a human rights activist whose penchant for the promotion and defense of human rights will not give him the urge to sign the Bill into law.
Hon. Koroma in the same vain called on the First Lady, Madam Fatima Bio to impress on her husband not to sign the Bill and leave an ugly legacy behind, noting that one does not even need to pass the Basic Examination Certificate Exams (BECE) to understand the implications of when someone is charged with treason and that person is being tried by a Judge alone.
Referencing the recent treason trials, Hon. Koroma said the verdict was passed by jury (Board Members), pointing out that had that judgment been passed by a Judge alone, the public would have been adjudged that a particular Judge who passed the verdict may have done so on the President’s instruction.
The Opposition Leader therefore called on the President not to sign the Bill into law as the outcome of the recent treason trial shows fairness and transparency because the Judge Advocate was aided by a Board in his interpretation of the law.