The Coordinator of Operations at the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Patrick Sandi has strategically facilitated and participated in the stakeholders’ workshops held to elicit the views, ideas, and thoughts of prominent and key persons - including, Paramount Chiefs, Local Courts Officials, Mammy Queens, officials of the Chiefdom Council Administrative Clerks, in relation to the review of the Local Courts Act 2011, and the reversion of Local Courts from the Judiciary to the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affiars (MLGCA), held on Thursday 24th and Friday 25th April, 2025 at the District Councils Halls in Bo and Kenema respectively.
This Reversion exercise is necessitated by a Cabinet Conclusion granting approval for the review of the Local Courts Act 2011 and reversion since the Local Courts were made to be under the Judiciary, no significant success recorded especially, relating to the administration of local justice, as the Local Courts officials did not work in harmony with the Paramount Chiefs, who are the custodians of the chiefdoms in which these courts operate.
The Coordinator of Operations, ACC, who spoke on deepening transparency, integrity and accountability, underscored the importance of these tenets in judicial processes. He stated that transparency and accountability, foster and deepen public trust and confidence, instill sanity and reinforce stability, dispel doubts and misunderstandings and inject integrity in the work of the courts and the fight against corruption generally. Mr. Sandi further highighted the challenges in the Local Courts for which reports/complaints are made to the Commission, ranging from heavy fines, abuse of office, soliciting and accepting advantage, to, no conflict diclosure measures.
He however, assured his listeners that, these are the issues, the Commission have identified and for which measures are taken to combat in the intended revised legislation and regulations. The ACC Coordinator also submitted that ethical governance, stakeholder engagement and community accountability are critical ingredients to the promotion of transparency in the operations of local courts and the administration of justice at local level.
Concluding, Patrick Sandi outlined the relevant offences in the Anti-Corruption Act 2008, as amended in 2019, that appertain to the work of Local Courts, which are; misappropriation of public funds or property, abuse of office/position, receiving gifts for a corrupt purpose, conspiracy to commit a corruption offence, failure to declare assets etc. He, encouraged all the stakeholders to make their contributions and views candidly which will be reflected in the documents that will form the blueprint for the reversion.
The Deputy Minister of Local Government and Community Affairs (MLGCA), Hon. Alfred Moi Jamiru who aptly represented the Minister, Hon. Tamba Lamina, assured all and sundry that the Ministry is determined to actualize the reversion with all its intended objectives, to ensure primarily that justice at the local level is dispensed and adminstered fairly and with integrity.
The Director of Local Government, Brima Newman Combey, dilated on the reasons for the review and reversion, stressing that, Local Courts operations this time will be modified and modernized with standard international practices incorporated. He furthered that, the Ministry through these engagements will make sure Local Courts go back to their rightful place as there have been complaints relating to their effective functionality whilst they operated under the Judiciary.
Lead Consultant, Flyod A. Davies Esq., legal and policy expert on Local Court governance presented the historical context of Local Courts in Sierra Leone and the rationale behind their transition to the Judiciary. Mr. Davies stressed that he was required to seek the views of all relevant parties including the users of Local Courts in order to come up with a detailed, undiluted progressive and balanced Report that will stand the test of time and cater for the immediate generations of people.
The Paramount Chief of Mandu Chiefdom, Farley Coomber, who represented the National Council of Paramount Chiefs (NCPC) was emphatic on the reversion and advanced the point that the Local Courts must be with the Paramount Chiefs, as it were even before the advent of the colonialists. As such, there is no need to have this insitution under the Judiciary. As Paramount Chiefs, he sounded, the do not buy that idea and strongly do not support that idea.
Hon Justice Aiah Simeon Allieu, who represented the Judiciary underscored the challenge which the Local Courts faced when it is with the Judiciary-the lack of finance. He stated that whilst deliberate steps were taken to support the Local Courts, they however lacked funds from the central Government to pay court officials which seriously handicapped the Judiciary in its role to supervise the work of the Local courts. Hon. Justice Allieu also observed that, whilst the reversion was a good idea, nevertheless, it was crirical to note that anything that deals with courts must be considered to be under the Judiciarty, as there three arms of Government- the Legislature, Executive and Judiciary. Therefore, when it comes to courts, that aspect must rest with the Judiciary.
Simite Lavally Esq., Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission, Sierra Leone, presented on the human rightd issues that would be needed in the operations of the Local Courts and those that are currently considered as challenges to the courts. She higlighted the Gender and Women’s Empowerment Act (GEWE) 2022, and other international instruments that promote the rights of women and children, who are also the users of the Local Courts, and are deemed as the vulnerable groups at local level.
Edward Saccoh Esq., from the Law Officers’ Department, made a submission on the role and importance of customary law Officers in their support to the Local Courts and the integration of customary law with statutory law.
The stakeholders engagements provided for intensive focused-group works, which were climaxed with group presentations, dealing with diverse subject areas as they relate to the review and reversion of the Local Courts, current challenges, why the reversion, and how the courts will operate in future, the diferrent components to constitute the courts with the reversion and many more.
Questions were asked and answers provided after each presentation by the Team-Leads.
Other stakeholder engagements on the same review and reversion are planned to held in the North-East and North-West regions in the coming weeks.
