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The Legal Aid Board (LAB) has on Monday 7th March 2022 secured the release of two accused persons from the High Court in Freetown . The matter was presided over by Hon Justice Momoh-Jah Stevens.
The two accused, Kai Lebbie and Ibrahim Conteh were standing trial on charges of sexual penetration were discharged by the court for want of prosecution. The accused persons were represented by Counsel Cyril Taylor-Younge Esq.
The Executive Director of the Board, Ms Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles admonished the beneficiaries to be peace and law abiding citizens.
Fatmata Carlton-Hanciles is the first Executive Director of the Sierra Leone Legal Aid Board since its inception in 2015. Ms. Carlton-Hanciles has been credited with transforming the Board into the largest legal aid organization in the country. It has offices in fourteen of the sixteen districts in the country. Each of the offices has at least two Paralegals. Also, the Board is the only organization with resident lawyers in some parts of the country.
Under her stewardship, the Board has carved a niche in the provision of primary justice services. This has improved access to justice for many especially those in remote communities where it is not uncommon for people to resort to divine intervention rather than seek redress in the courts because of the challenges which go with it in terms of access, cost, speed and complexity.
Prior to joining the Board, Ms. Carlton-Hanciles worked at the United Nations backed International War Crimes Tribunal, The Special Court for Sierra Leone. She joined the Court in 2002 as Defence Counsel. She rose to the enviable position of Principal Defender in 2009; A position she held until the closure of the court in December 2013. She is the only Sierra Leonean to have held that position and also the longest serving Principal Defender in the history of the Court.
She was engaged in private practice for over four years, which she combined with civil society activism. She was a member of the executive of the Women’s Forum one of the leading civil society organizations in the country.
She has won numerous awards and accolades for her outstanding work in the country.
