Former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara, has voiced strong criticism of the recent Sierra Leone Bar Association election held in Kenema.

Kamara characterized the election process as fraudulent, alleging that such practices have become commonplace in the country.

Kamara claimed that the results were declared without proper candidate nominations, and that 70% of the association’s members were locked out of the voting venue.

“Ballot papers were selectively distributed. This is beyond the bar. It is the announcement of the death of democracy,” he asserted.

He expressed concern over the broader implications for democracy in Sierra Leone, suggesting that electoral challenges in the bar association reflect wider systemic issues.

Despite a smooth first day of the bar conference, Kamara described the second day’s election conduct as “shameful at best, dastardly at worst.”

Reflecting on whether the election could have been avoided, Kamara called for the candidates to seek annulment of the results through the courts, criticizing what he termed the “arrogance of power” in the election process.