Sierra Leone: Several prisoners discharged or granted bail in a bid to decongest prisons

Twenty six High Court Judges have been posted across Sierra Leone to review the sentences, and in some cases – detention without charge meted out to over one thousand people, including teenagers, in a week-long crusade by the country’s Chief Justice to improve access to justice.

At the Ross Road Magistrates’ Courts in Freetown yesterday, one of the High Court Judges presiding over cases in the ongoing Judicial Week – Justice Manuela Harding (Photo), discharged 19-year-old Labourer, Mohamed Sow and 29-year-old Mamoud Mansaray who were locked up in prison without their case being heard by the courts.

According to report from the Judiciary communications unit, Sow was before the court on a one count indictment of Robbery with Aggravation contrary to Section 23 (1) (a) of the Larceny Act of 1916 as repealed and replaced by section 2 of the Act No. 16 of 1971.

It was alleged that the accused on Saturday 27th November 2021 at Jui Junction, Waterloo Highway in the Waterloo Judicial District, being armed with bottle, robbed one Alhaji Kargbo.

29-year-old Electrician, Mamoud Mansaray was also discharged of one count indictment of Fraudulent Conversion contrary to section 20 (1) (IV) (a) of the Larceny Act of 1916.

Mansaray was in September 2021, at Goderich in Freetown alleged to have fraudulently converted to his own use or benefit certain properties including one TVS Motor Tricycle, windscreen, one Motor Tricycle Battery and other items all valued at Four Million One Hundred Thousand Leones

Justice Harding also granted bail to Motorcycle Rider – Mohamed Lamin Conteh who was accused of fraudulent conversion, Marketer Ibrahim Tarawally for Larceny and Osman Bah for fraudulent conversion.

The decision was reached after the Application for bail made by Defence Lawyer, Lamin J. Kamara from the Legal Aid Board on behalf of the accused persons wasn’t objected to by State Prosecutor, Robin Mason Jr.

In another related development, Supreme Court Judge Alusine Sesay who is presiding over cases at the Waterloo Magistrate’s Court in the ongoing Judicial Week, has completed the review of 15 rulings delivered by various Magistrates in the Western Area of Freetown against accused persons, convicts and inmates.

The hearings are part of a total of one thousand and thirteen cases assigned to 26 judges across the country for review for which inmates had been incarcerated and awaiting trial without indictments, those on prolonged adjournments due to lack of empanelled jurors, those who’ve been admitted to bail but are unable to fulfil their bail conditions to secure their release and those serving unjustifiable and disproportionate sentences from Magistrates.

source: thesierraleonetelegraph.com