By Amin Kef Sesay
The Judiciary of Sierra Leone, in a statement it released on the 17th February 2022, discloses that it wishes to inform the general public that during the nationwide Judicial Week commencing on the 31st January, 2022 to 4th February, 2022, eight hundred and seventy (870) cases were processed by the Court.
Out of that number, four hundred and twenty-three (423) were from the provinces and the remaining four hundred and forty-seven (447) were processed in the Western Area.
It continued that the Access to Justice through Judicial Week was a huge success with a large number of cases handled and completed by 26 Judges who were deployed across the Country.
The Judiciary underscored that in a bid to increasing access to justice and decongesting Correctional Centres across the country, a total number of eight hundred and seventy cases (870) inmates had the opportunity of their incarcerations being reviewed through prolonged adjournments, bail variation, bail application, summary review and habeas corpus application.
It furthered how as part of the Chief Justice’s commitment to enhance access to justice, inmates/accused persons or some convicted persons have the opportunity to be heard, and their cases reviewed by specific Judges deployed across the country.
Three hundred and seventy-four (374) inmates were granted bail to secure their release – two hundred and fifty-nine (259) in the provinces, one hundred and fifteen (115) in the Western Area.
Also stated was that it should be noted that the initial number of incarcerated inmates was one thousand and thirteen (1,013). The number later increased to one thousand one hundred and seventy-five (1,175) inmates. Out of this number (1,175), the total number of prolonged adjournments was one hundred and thirty-four (134) and ninety-three (93) were completed.
There were a total of one hundred and four (104) Summary Review cases, of which one hundred and one (101) were completed. Out of a total of one hundred and three (103) of the habeas corpus application, seventy-eight (78) without Indictments were completed and the remaining twenty-five (25) were referred to the Law Officers Department. A total of two hundred and thirty-four (234) nationwide were discharged.
