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A Sierra Leone magistrate has formally discharged all criminal charges against Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, bringing an end to a high-profile legal battle that began in 2022.
Magistrate Mustapha Brima-Jah of Pademba Road Court No. 1 issued the ruling on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, after the state moved to withdraw the case. State Counsel Yusuf Isaac Sesay presented a discontinuance notice signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Osman I. Kanu, which directed that the matter be dropped under constitutional provisions.
The charges originated from an incident on September 17, 2022, at the Airport Police Division in Lungi. The mayor was accused of interfering with police officers while they were questioning a local councillor.
Aki-Sawyerr was arrested on October 13, 2022, and made her first court appearance the following day, where she was granted self-bail. Her defense team, led by lawyer Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara, consistently contested the allegations, arguing that the charges lacked merit and presenting evidence to counter police testimony.
The proceedings saw various delays, including defense requests for additional witness subpoenas and a review of video evidence from the airport incident.
Although the prosecution had closed its case in April 2023, the matter remained in the judicial system for nearly three years before the state’s eventual withdrawal this week.
In his ruling, Magistrate Brima-Jah stated he had carefully reviewed the state’s submission made pursuant to Section 66 of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone.
