AYV News, July 11, 2024

President of the Sierra Leone Bar Association, Madam Tuma Adama Gento-Kamara (Nee Jabbi) has expressed satisfaction with what she referred to as: “A clear case of Separation of Powers at work on the Tribunal charged with the responsibility of investigating Lara Taylor Pearce and her Deputy.”

Speaking to newsmen, Tuma said: “This is a clear case of Separation of Powers at work. The Judiciary of Sierra Leone, sets up a Tribunal to looked into the said allegations and they have looked into it and come up with their findings; the President has received the findings and instructed the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice to take the necessary legal steps as sanctioned by the Constitution; and we now all look forward to what the Legislative arm of government will do in line with what is required of them by the Constitution. So no one man or arm of government has all the powers in reaching a decision on the final outcome of this matter”.

The Bar President informed that the Association is pleased to know that the Tribunal has concluded its investigations and handed over their report to the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone in accordance with the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone. She however stated that the Tribunal spent so much time in dealing with the matter and now that His Excellency Julius Maada Bio has received its report and instructed the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice to move forward with the necessary steps for another organ of government to look into the matter and perform their own constitutional function, they should do so speedily.

She said this is the beauty of democracy and the rule of law, calling for a speedy resolution of this matter by ensuring the report gets to Parliament in time before they go on recess.

In addition, she stated that the Tribunal in accordance with the constitution should have only investigated the Auditor General and not his Deputy! The Board of the Audit Service Sierra Leone should have looked into the matter of the allegations brought against the Deputy Auditor General and taken a decision; as he who hires, fires.

Director of Public Prosecutions, Osman Kanu, attached at the Office of Attorney General and Ministry of Justice, however, clarified that the Deputy was investigated because he, on some occasions, acted as Auditor General and he was investigated for those periods while he so acted.

Madam Tuma Adama Gento-Kamara reiterated that she and her team will deliver on construction the first ever Sierra Leone Bar Association Secretariat. She and her team will secure a suitable land and proceed with construction as soon as possible.