Sierra Leone’s main Opposition All People’s Congress (APC) chairman, Alhaji Minkailu Mansaray, has been exonerated from all claims and adverse recommendations made against him by the Commission of Inquiry (CoI).

The three-member panel of judges appointed to review the CoI’s findings and recommendations unanimously agreed to set aside all adverse findings made against Mansaray. The panel also ordered the government to refund any money paid by Mansaray in connection with the CoI.

In a landmark decision, the judges ruled that the CoI’s findings against Mansaray were flawed and did not meet the standards of evidence required in a fair trial. The judges also found that the CoI had failed to provide Mansaray with a fair opportunity to defend himself.

The CoI was established in 2019 to investigate allegations of corruption and abuse of power under the previous APC government.

The CoI’s report made several recommendations, including the confiscation of assets from Mansaray and other opposition figures. However, the judges found that the CoI had no legal basis to make such recommendations.