By Ilyasa Baa
Justice Alusine Sesay of the High Court of Sierra Leone has on Tuesday ordered the President of the Sierra Leone Motor and General Transport Workers Union, Alpha Bah and the plaintiffs in the current injunction matter, not to enter the Union’s main park at Texaco until he gives ruling on the case before him.
This order came up following serious legal arguments between counsel for the respondent, Ibrahim Tommy (CARL) and J.M. Jengo, representing Abu Sillah, Lahai and Conteh as plaintiffs, who are asking for an interlocutory injunction against Bah who the Anti- Corruption has charged with corruption.
Lawyer Jengo argued that if Bah is allowed to be visiting the Union’s Secretariat, he would cause serious damages to the plaintiffs.
Lawyer Tommy countered the argument, stating that the entire injunction application be struck out of court because ‘it lacks merit,’ he further argued. Tommy drew the attention of the Judge to the 70,000 members in the Union whom, he said, should not be deprived because of the action of the three plaintiffs.
In his response, the presiding Judge, of over twenty years experience in the bench, said the Labor Congress has to come in to pronounce any vacuum within the Union but the erudite Lawyer Tommy was quick to reply that the Union, by virtue of a letter, had ceased to be part of the Labour Congress, therefore it has no standing in the matter.
The Judge pronounced that it would be premature for him to grant an injunction against the respondent when the charges against him are seen at the moment as mere allegations that must be proven beyond all reasonable doubt.
Lawyer Tommy expressed the need for his client, who he described as a businessman in the transport sector, to be allowed to get into the park. However, before adjourning the matter for ruling, Justice Alusine Sesay warned both the respondents and plaintiffs to avoid the park until his ruling comes out one of these days.