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The three Appeal Court Judges sitting on the Commission of Inquiry matter of Former President Ernest Bai Koroma will come up with a ruling next week in relation to his Supreme Court application.
On Monday 19 July 2021, lawyers representing the former president in the Commission of Inquiry matter led by Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara ( JFK) applied to the Court of Appeal to grant them leave in order to go to the Supreme Court to seek certain interpretations which they believe touches on the immunity of the former President.
In that application JFK raised few issues, which according to him must be put to rest by the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone, the highest Court of the land, for better clarity and understanding.
Among the issues JFK pointed out to Justice Adrian Fisher, Justice Momoh Jah Stevens and Justice Ivan Sesay, the presiding judge that the former President should not be prosecuted or held accountable for executive decisions he took while he was in office citing the relevant sections that need to be interpreted by the Supreme Court if the application is granted.
The Court also gave lawyer for the respondent Lawyer Robert Kowa the opportunity to respond to the said applications.
According to Lawyer Kowa the Supreme Court has the jurisdiction to interpret the constitution. However, he stated that if the Appeal’s Court deems it fit that the said interpretation is simple and straight forward, then an interpretation by the Supreme Court is not necessary.
Kowa responded that although there are various types of interpretation, purposive interpretation supersedes the other forms of interpretation.
And inorder to come up with a thorough ruling of the said matter, the Judges had adjourned the matter to a date next week for their ruling.
