By Amin Kef Sesay
Over the prolonged Court detention of Mohamed Kamarainba Mansaray and his subsequent loss of leadership position in the Alliance Democratic Party (ADP), the Legal Link Organization has issued a Position Statement on the matter.
Legal Link states: “We strongly aver that the prolonged detention of Kamarainba by the court, over an alleged offence that is bailable and which has ultimately served as a precursor to his loss of political leadership in his Alliance Democratic Party, amounts to a clear violation of fair trial rights of an accused person guaranteed under Section 23 (4) of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone.”
It continued that if bail had been granted to him, it is certain that such outright stripping of his leadership title by the Political Parties Registration Commission may not have arisen in the first place adding that he would have had, at the very least, an opportunity to defend himself in person.
“We therefore call on the learned Judge to do the needful if not for any other reason but to save the Judiciary from been misconstrued as ‘complicit’ of a political system that is anathematic to democratic pluralism, multi- partyism and constructive criticisms within the state,” the Position Statement furthered.
