At a well-attended ceremony last weekend at the forecourt of the Law Officers Department, Guma Building in Freetown, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice was the keynote speaker on ‘Scaling Up Access to Justice Leaving No One Behind’.
Recalling how his appointment led to the launching of the scaling up access to justice program, Joseph Kamara recalled the day President Koroma called him to his Hill Station official lodge and appealed to him to help improve the Country’s justice system; seeing the marvellous work he had done at the Anti-Corruption Commission.
He spoke of President Koroma’s concern for poor people in conflict with the law who do not have the social clout or money to hire the services of a lawyer to secure justice for them.
President Koroma, he said, told him that based on his experience with the court system, he wants to see reforms that will bring about justice for all.
“As a true patriot I readily accepted the president’s offer and has always been ready to serve the State and its people. In taking up the President’s offer, my utmost priority is to improve access to justice by making everybody equal before the law.”
Mr. Kamara told his audience that setting up of the Legal Aid Board, which is primarily responsible for facilitating access to justice for everybody is also the brain child of President Koroma in securing justice for his people.
He spoke of those days when people would be unlawfully imprisoned, spending weeks, months in remand custody, which already assumed their guilt even when they had pleaded not guilty to charges put to them by the magistrate. “Sometimes, their case files get lost leading to long detention. The Legal Aid Board is now working steadfastly to ensure that it does not happen anymore.”
The Attorney General spoke of a long term remand prisoner who after his release was secured by the Legal Aid Board told the officials to speed up the process so that he will not be caught by the curfew. “That tells you how long he had been in custody. He was locked up years ago when there was curfew in the country and that is a long time ago.”
Mr Kamara pointed out that they in the judiciary wear two caps one to prosecute and jail offenders, the other to come to the aid of those who are wrongfully imprisoned.
President Koroma’s government he said is so fussy about securing the rights of its citizens that he has introduced legislation securing the rights of vulnerable people the disabled, the physically challenged. This government the AG said is the first to set up a commission for the physically challenged.
On the rights of children, he spoke of the government’s introduction of legislation protecting children’s rights, setting up of the Child Rights Commission and the introduction of free education for the girl child. He further spoke of the Free Health Care, which is to be upgraded soon with a National Health Scheme for children and women. On the protection of women, he spoke about the Customary Marriage Act, and the Property Rights Act that now stops relatives from preventing widows inheriting their dead husband’s property.
To increase access to justice through speedy trials, Mr. Kamara said that more courts have been established in the Western Area and provincial towns, and they have provided more magistrates.
Mr Kamara averred that people of Kailahun thanked him for posting a magistrate to the district, which means they no longer have to travel 80 miles to attend court in Kenema. On making the judicial service attractive, he said the salaries of magistrates and judges which used to be discouraging have been improved with the approval of the President to a level that makes everybody now want to be a magistrate or judge. The quality of justice provided in the country he said has now improved. This has happened by putting the right people in the right places.
The judiciary he said will also focus on improving the Local Court system where many traditional cases are heard, by empowering Local Court Chairmen and allowing lawyers to appear in them. He said 20 lawyers have been recruited by the Law Officers Department who by the 15th of this month will have been deployed to local courts. Local laws, he said, will be strengthened and where there is injustice they will help.
Mr. Kamara maintained that without a strong legal system, there will be no law and order. He appealed to all citizens to respect the law and to obey the police when summoned. Gone are the days when people used to say, “Ar dey kill u e lef buff,” he said.
Tuesday September 13, 2016
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