By Amin Kef-Ranger
In a rare moment of cross-party consensus, Parliamentarians from both the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and opposition All People’s Congress (APC) came together on Tuesday, 13 May 2025, to commend the transformative work of the Legal Aid Board in advancing access to justice across Sierra Leone.
During a special session where the Legal Aid Board was granted the floor to address Parliament, Members of Parliament (MPs) shared firsthand accounts of how the Board’s interventions are positively impacting lives in their constituencies.
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Alpha Sesay, alongside the Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles, presented a comprehensive overview of the Board’s achievements, ongoing challenges and future plans to expand legal aid services nationwide.
Alpha Sesay highlighted the Board’s impressive track record since its establishment in 2015, emphasizing its critical role in making justice affordable and accessible for ordinary citizens. He underscored the Board’s active involvement in both formal and informal justice systems. In the formal sector, the Board regularly monitors Police Stations, Courts and Correctional Centers to ensure that suspects, accused persons and inmates receive legal representation and that their fundamental human rights are upheld.
Regarding the informal justice sector, commonly known as Local or Traditional Courts, Alpha Sesay explained that the Board ensures these courts operate within their legal jurisdiction, preventing unlawful arrests, detentions, banishments and excessive fines. The Board also refers cases beyond the scope of informal courts to police authorities.
The Attorney General informed Parliament that the Board currently operates 23 offices nationwide but stressed the urgent need to increase the number of paralegals from 59 to 190. That increase is necessary to meet the Legal Aid Act 2012’s requirement of having at least one paralegal in each of the country’s 190 chiefdoms. He described this shortage as a significant barrier to reaching underserved rural and remote communities.
On the topic of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), the Attorney General and Minister of Justice praised its effectiveness in peacefully resolving civil and minor community disputes, contributing to social harmony.
Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles traced the Board’s origins to recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which called for a formal legal aid scheme. She revealed that over four million Sierra Leoneans have benefited from the Board’s services, including legal advice, representation, mediation, legal education and justice system monitoring.
Ms. Fatmata Carlton-Hanciles also highlighted findings from a recent Overseas Development Institute (ODI) study, which ranked the Legal Aid Board as the most cost-efficient legal aid program in low-income countries, spending only USD 11 per client compared to the USD 20 average.
Parliamentarians praised the Board’s impact within their districts. Hon. Hindolo Moiwo Gavao, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, commended the Board’s ADR mechanism and its efforts to ensure customary marriages are legally recognized, protecting women’s inheritance rights. He called on Parliament to consider granting the Board enforcement powers to strengthen its mandate.
However, Hon. Tamba Kellie, MP for Kono District, while lauding the Board’s success in representing inmates at Sefadu Correctional Center and helping to reduce prison congestion, disagreed with the proposal to grant enforcement powers to the Board.
Hon. Abdul Karim Kamara, MP for Kambia District, acknowledged the Board’s positive influence in his area, noting that with the Board’s presence, people have shifted away from harmful traditional practices such as witch doctor revenge rituals. He praised Legal Aid Counsel Mohamed Korie as the district’s leading lawyer and expressed concern over the poor state of the Kambia Magistrate Court building, which suffers from severe leakage during the rainy season. Hon. Abdul Karim Kamara also highlighted the lack of official residence, vehicle and security for the Magistrate.
Other MPs, including opposition leader Hon. Abdul Kargbo and Hon. Quinton Salia Konneh, also spoke favorably about the Legal Aid Board’s contributions to justice in their respective constituencies.
The session concluded on a hopeful note, with all sides acknowledging the critical role the Legal Aid Board plays in ensuring justice for all Sierra Leoneans and the need for continued support to expand its reach and effectiveness.
