By Sulaiman.sesay@awokonewspaper.sl
Freetown, SIERRA LEONE – Lawyer Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara, Esq, has asserted that the trial of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary was a nullity.
“Jesus Christ was executed based on acclamation and not based on the quality of the evidence brought against Him when he was being tried,” lawyer Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara further asserted.
He made the above assertions while he was speaking at the Flaming Evangelical Church on Syke Street in Freetown, on Wednesday 3rd of April 2024, during their special Wednesday Word Explosion.
Lawyer Kamara titled his talk “the legality of Jesus trials: examining the justice system.”
Giving a deeper reflection of Christ’s trial, lawyer Kamara noted that Christ went through six trials within 24 hours in religious courts and before the Roman Governor, Pilate.
Highlighting what was wrong with Jesus’s trial, the former Attorney General and Minister of Justice told the congregation that Christ’s trial was held in private and in the middle of the night, noting that it was an error in law to have done that. “It is a fundamental principle of law that trials must be held in public,” he maintained.
The Lecturer brings to the attention of the congregation that initially, Christ was charged with blasphemy, but later when the trial moved to another court, and out of desperation, the charges were changed to sedition. Lawyer Kamara described such an act as a wrongful committal.
The Barrister and Solicitor of the Higher Court of Sierra Leone’s judicature also delved into the issue of false witnesses brought before the courts just to find ways of finding Him (Christ) guilty of offences that He never committed. Lawyer Kamara spoke highly against false witnesses in today’s world. “These days false witnesses are found everywhere including in our homes and in our courts,” he noted.
Another significant illegality which he talked about was the admission of inadmissible evidence. According to JFK, the trial did not conform to the principles of natural justice, for those who hated him and wanted Him killed were as well the prosecutors and Judges at the same time. “No man can be a Judge in his own court,” he noted.
In addition to the above, the esteemed politician told the congregation that the courts that tried Jesus Christ lacked jurisdiction (the power to determine the outcome of a case).
Lawyer Kamara also identified what he described as ‘procedural error’ in the trial of Jesus Christ, noting that those who tried Him did not follow the requirements of the law. He mentioned that there was no jury and no opportunity was granted for witnesses to be called to testify in Jesus’s favour, rather the courts misunderstood Jesus’s silence for guilt.
Another basic principle of law which the Former Anti-Corruption Commission Boss cited was the avoidance of the presumption of innocence in Christ’s trial. “It is a principle of law that all accused persons must be presumed innocent until proven guilty, but Jesus was not presumed innocent out of the desperation to kill him,” J.F.K remarked.
Examining the sentencing of Christ, lawyer Kamara noted that after the prosecution, Jesus Christ was found not guilty, but yet he was crucified. “The sentencing is inconsistent with the verdict, therefore, it is a nullity,” he maintained.
He further described the execution as unlawful. “The execution of Jesus Christ represents the ultimate mockery of justice, for he was convicted of a crime he did not commit,” he opined.
In all of the above, lawyer Kamara noted with a broad smile on his face that “the Roman soldiers thought they had killed Jesus but He (Jesus) did not die.”
He urged the congregation to believe in the resurrection of Christ Jesus. “We need true salvation and redemption through Jesus Christ and not man. Worshipping idols don’t last, rather the true solution to our challenges is in Jesus Christ,” he concluded. SKS/4/4/2024