By Amin Kef Sesay
On the 10th November, 2020 the Chief Justice, His Lordship Ambassador Desmond Babatunde Edwards strongly warned members of staff of the Judiciary against corruption and its related offences which will undermine sustainable reforms and growth of the Judiciary.
Amb. Hon. Justice Edwards was speaking at Court No. 1 of the main Law Courts Building marking the official commencement of the training for Court Registrars, Baliffs, Administrative and other Support staff of the Judiciary. The training which caters for one hundred and twenty-eight (128) staff members is fully funded by the Judiciary with funds from the Government of Sierra Leone.
According to him, the training is the first to have been organised in the annals of the Judiciary. He told the trainees that the Judiciary and Legal Training Institute has identified seasoned facilitators with huge span of knowledge on all the courses ranging from the Roles of Registrars in Civil and Criminal Courts; Roles of the Bailiffs, Court Secretaries in both Civil and Criminal proceedings; treatment of vulnerable and special witnesses, Bail and Bond Regulations, Bail/Bond requirements, Management of records, Judiciary as an Arm of Government: Relationship with the Bar, Law Office, Sierra Leone Police and the Legal Aid Board, facilities and assets, ethics with particular reference to the code of conduct for support staff and many more to develop their capacity.
Speaking on the adverse effect of corruption, Amb Hon. Chief Justice Edwards said some staff members are either just too wicked or not good at their work which is why they mostly renege on their sacred duties to allow files to be missing, allow accused persons to jump bail or sometimes stalled some cases from coming up for hearing.
Amb. Justice Edwards vowed to have a new Judiciary that is transparent and accountable to the people. He inspired the trainees to invest their best as the training will also empower those who are weak by capacitating them to be resourceful and productive.
He added that after the training, staff members who engage in corrupt activities under the guise of inexperience or lack of training will have no place to hide.
“You either do what is expected of you or face disciplinary action,” he warned.
The training is being headed by the Director of Judiciary and Legal Training Institute, Hon. Justice Eku Roberts with support from Justices Hon. Brown Marke (JSC); Hon. Alusine Sesay (JSC); Hon. Reginald Fynn (JA); Hon. Monfred Sesay (JA); Hon. Musu Damba (JA); Hon. Bintu Alhadi (JA) and Hon. Komba Kamanda (JA).
In another development, it was stated that the Judiciary has made inroads in the World Justice Rule of Law 2020 Index Report as well as the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Scorecard ahead of Nigeria, Uganda, Niger, Turkey, Pakistan, Mexico and few other countries within and without Africa Continent.
The World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law 2020 Index is the latest report in an annual series measuring the rule of law based on the experiences and perceptions of the general public and in-country legal practitioners and experts worldwide.
The WJP Rule of Law 2020 Index Report presents a portrait of the rule of law in 128 countries and jurisdictions by providing scores and rankings based on eight factors: Constraints on Government Powers, Absence of Corruption, Open Government, Fundamental Rights, Order and Security, Regulatory Enforcement, Civil Justice, and Criminal Justice.
“This is a welcome news for us as a nation in making gains in our justice system and to also perform impressively in the Millennium Challenge Corporation scorecard indicators to pass thirteen (13) out of the twenty (20) MCC indicators for 2020,” said Justice Edwards, noting that, “Sierra Leone scored 28 in the area of political rights, scored 37 in civil rights and 63 percentage in the Rule of Law which falls under our purview.” These impressive successes have made the country to be ‘Compact Eligible.’
He said the WJP Rule of Law Index measures adherence to the rule of law by looking at policy outcomes, such as whether people have access to courts or whether crime is effectively controlled and whether the platform is enabling for political right and civil liberty.
He thanked the President, His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio, the Hon. Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh and the Government for their commitment to have a new Judiciary that will administer justice without fear or favour, ensures sustainable reforms that are critical to advancing the Rule of Law and guaranteeing human rights.
The WJP Rule of Law Index is the world’s leading source for original, independent data on the Rule of Law.
