Constitutional Ruling is Final, Cannot Be Interpreted by Any Court – Speaker Segepoh Thomas

Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Segepoh Thomas, has declared that his ruling on the constitutional matter before Parliament is final and cannot be interpreted, questioned, or enquired into by any court of law.

The Speaker made the declaration after delivering a ruling in Parliament amid ongoing public and political discussions surrounding constitutional amendment procedures. His statement reflects the authority of the Speaker’s ruling within parliamentary proceedings.

Speaker Thomas emphasised that the ruling itself is conclusive and not subject to judicial interpretation or review by any court. The declaration formed the central part of his ruling before he proceeded to address a separate constitutional question of public importance.

He later referred to the Supreme Court the question of whether a non-entrenched provision of the Constitution of Sierra Leone, 1991 (Act No. 6 of 1991), can be altered solely through the procedure provided under Section 91(1) of the Constitution.

In the final paragraph of his statement, the Speaker stated that because the question is of “grave public interest,” he was referring it to the Supreme Court for an opinion to be returned to Parliament within three months to guide future discussions on the matter.

He concluded the ruling with the words: “I so rule.”

The ruling has drawn attention to the distinction between the finality of the Speaker’s parliamentary decision and the separate constitutional question referred to the Supreme Court for future guidance.