According to Hon. Justice John Bosco Allieu the court cannot continue with this trend, adding that the court has a responsibility to perform its duty to decide the fate of accused persons charged with various criminal offences on trial, in the light of justice and fair play.
He informed the court that he is not pleased over the manner in which state prosecutors are treating the court by not bringing forward their witness or witnesses to expedite the trial of accused persons incarcerated at various state detention centres in Freetown.
The learned judge made these remarks, when adjudicating a murder matter involving a stone miner, Alimamy Bangura who was residing at New Jersey community, off Peninsular Road, Goderich.
He is alleged to have murdered one Allieu Kamara at Goderich in the Freetown Judicial District in the Western Area of the Republic of Sierra Leone in 2017, and was subsequently charged to court for the offence of Murder, contrary to law.
The presiding Judge, Hon. Justice John Bosco Allieu further informed the court that since the commencement of the trial of the accused Alimamy Bangura since 2017, the prosecution has brought forward only one witness that testified.
As a result of the millipede pace, Hon. Justice John Bosco Allieu stated in court that, he would order a Bench Warrant for any juror who fails to attend court sittings at the next adjourned date and would also have him/her locked up.
The state was represented by Barrister Kabbah Conteh, while the alleged murderer, Alimamy Bangura was defended by Lawyer C.Tucker from the Legal Aid Board.
The matter comes up again on Monday 15th April 2019.
In another development, leadership of the Sierra Leone Judiciary has relocated all magistrate courts formerly at the main Law Court Building at Siaka Stevens Street in Freetown to the Freetown Magistrate Court at Pademba Road.
The move is part of the new Chief Justice, Desmond Babatunde Edwards’s radical judicial reform processes aimed at rebranding the Judiciary in Sierra Leone.
