By Amin Kef (Ranger)
The Institute for Legal Research and Advocacy for Justice (ILRAJ) has raised serious constitutional and legal concerns over the Independent Investigation Committee established by President Julius Maada Bio to investigate the Sierra Leone Law School.
In a Legal Policy Brief released on Tuesday, 15 April 2026, ILRAJ questioned the legal foundation of the committee announced by State House on 7 April, arguing that no constitutional or statutory authority was cited for its establishment.
According to the policy institute, the Commissions of Inquiry Act (Cap. 54) was not invoked, nor was any constitutional instrument gazetted to validate the committee’s mandate. ILRAJ emphasized that the Sierra Leone Law School falls under the governance of the Council of Legal Education, chaired by the Chief Justice under the Council of Legal Education Act, 1989, as amended in 2021 and is not an executive institution.
The organization therefore contends that the presidential intervention raises concerns over the constitutional principle of separation of powers, as enshrined in Sierra Leone’s 1991 Constitution.
ILRAJ also expressed concern over the reported suspension of the Anti-Corruption Commission’s ongoing criminal investigation into the Law School matter. The institute noted that such a move could undermine the statutory independence of the ACC under Section 9 of the Anti-Corruption Act, 2008, which states that the Commission shall not be subject to the direction or control of any person or authority.
Further concerns were raised over the appointment of the committee’s Chair, Dr. Priscilla Schwartz, with ILRAJ pointing to her previous involvement in Law School matters during her tenure as Attorney-General in 2019. The brief also noted that the Council of Legal Education had already taken decisive administrative action before the presidential committee was announced.
As part of its findings, ILRAJ referenced the case of former Acting Director Pamela Davies, whose 2022 dismissal was later ruled unlawful by the High Court in June 2024. The institute said the case illustrates longstanding governance failures within the institution that require structural legal reforms rather than ad hoc executive measures.
To address the crisis, ILRAJ put forward eleven recommendations, including reconstituting the committee under proper legal authority, immediately allowing the ACC investigation to resume, reviewing the Council of Legal Education Act, introducing statutory protections for Law School staff and considering broader reforms to legal education governance, including lessons from Ghana and Kenya.
In a strongly worded conclusion, ILRAJ stated that the solution to institutional failures lies in adherence to the rule of law, warning that replacing one authority with another lacking clear legal basis risks concentrating power rather than promoting accountability.
The full policy brief has been made publicly available by ILRAJ on its official platform.
