The people of Sierra Leone have joined the National Organising Secretary of the main opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) Bai Mamoud, who was set free on Thursday, 7 November 2024.
It must be recalled that Bai Mamoud was part of those charged with treason and for staging a failed coup attempt on Sunday, 26th November 2023 aimed at overthrowing the president and his ruling party government.
Since he took over the reins as the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mohamed Lamin Tarawallie has seen many convictions accredited to him, but he has also allowed for justice to prevail in the acquittal of people that no one expects to be set free, especially when their matter is against the government of the day.
For someone at the rank and position that Bai Mamoud holds in the APC, it was not expected that he would have a fair trial that is free from the infamous orders from above. But in the case of Bai Mamoud, the people say they have had their hope and faith in the justice system strengthened.
“No one expected Bai Mamoud’s acquittal; and we definitely didn’t expect for the Attorney General and Minister of Justice not to appeal the court’s decision. But we have seen that under Minister Mohamed Lamin Tarawallie, cases of great public and international interest have been handled with the kind of professionalism that is lacking in the judiciary and justice system. Since it is generally accepted that those caught in the failed coup attempt were mostly linked to the APC including the former president, we thought the trial was really a witch hunt and that anyone whose name appeared on the list of defendants was guilty before proven innocent,” said an APC Executive who spoke on conditions of anonymity.
In Sierra Leone the people consider the judiciary as one of the most corrupt public institutions in the country. Court cases tend to have a mind of their own as the justice dispensed by the judges, magistrates, and justices sometimes run contrary to the sound application of the rules and procedures of law. Without recourse to any other court after the High or Supreme Court many citizens consider the justice system as bent on jailing people, not really caring about the facts or particulars of their cases. Because of this many people would rather go through the struggle of handling their matters out of the court system instead of facing a system that they consider highly susceptible to bribery and influence from the powers that be.
“While we the people have a serious problem with the judiciary and how they handle cases that are brought to them by the government, we can honestly say that under the current Attorney General Mohamed Lamin Tarawallie, a guilty verdict is what it is and if anyone is to be set free, his office does not interfere. Mohamed Lamin and his office are dedicated to the rule of law and the sound application of justice. We take our hats off to him with how the court handled Bai Mamoud’s matter as we had all concluded that he was going to be sent to jail for a very long time,” another APC Executive stated.
Operating in a system where the two leading political parties, the APC and the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP), would routinely accuse members of the other party of trying to overthrow or undermine their plans and actions, it is not expected for anyone to survive a case brought against them by the sitting government. And for a matter that is as serious as treason or wanting to overthrow the government of the day, the verdict is usually a foregone conclusion while the trial is seen as window dressing for the public and members of the international community.
But the AG has been praised for how his office handled the cases of Paolo Conteh, for granting Ernest Bai Koroma medical leave from trial and presently for the acquittal of Bai Mamoud, the organising secretary of the main opposition APC.
Prior to his appointment, Tarawallie was serving as the Solicitor General of Sierra Leone and was in that capacity for two years. He has been practicing law for over two decades and has been excellent in his work. Before joining the Ministry of Justice as Solicitor General, he was the Deputy Head of Yada Williams & Associates law firm. Tarawallie is also a lecturer at the Law Department in Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, and the Sierra Leone Law School. Tarawallie holds a Bachelor of Law with Honours from the Fourah Bay College and was called to Bar in 2001 after graduating from the Sierra Leone Law School.
He also has a master’s degree in Law from the University of San Diego in California, USA. As Attorney General and Minister of Justice he is in charge of drafting legislation on behalf of the government, leads the prosecution of criminal matters for and on behalf of the state. His office’s main vision is to see Sierra Leone become a country where law and order are maintained and there is justice for all.