Speaker of Parliament Hon. Segepoh Thomas Vows Not to Tolerate Bad Laws

During a parliamentary session, Hon. Segepoh Solomon Thomas, Speaker of the Sixth Parliament of Sierra Leone, declared his opposition to laws targeting specific individuals or political parties. This statement was made as MPs discussed amendments to the “Criminal Procedure Act of 2024,” replacing the “Criminal Procedure Act of 1965.”

Hon. Thomas, leveraging his experience as a lawyer, criticized the jury system in Sierra Leone, stating it led to delays in critical cases like murder and treason and had become commercialized, with instances of jurors being bribed. He emphasized his commitment to impartiality and expressed confidence that President Bio would not endorse laws targeting specific parties.

He argued for abolishing the jury system, noting that Sierra Leone is the only country in the subregion still using it, causing delays and encouraging lawlessness. Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mohamed Lamin Tarawallie, supported this stance, acknowledging the system’s inefficiency.

Ultimately, MPs decided to abolish the jury system, incorporating this change into the Criminal Procedure Act of 2024. This decision aims to expedite criminal trials and improve judicial efficiency in Sierra Leone.

Comment(s)

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Balu Fofana | 2024-07-11 20:50:42

The government holds prisoners in jail for long periods of time with no charge and or no trial, but the speaker is worried about delays? He said jurors can be bought, but has apparently forgotten the majority of the MPs he his addressing are corrupt, forgotten that we have a system where with just a little means or connection, you can send the police to go arrest and harrass someone you have a problem with, and has also forgotten that some of our judges are very corrupt and can be bought, but he thinks the jury system is the problem. If he was thinking clearly, he would understand that we have a judicial system that most of us don't trust and for good reason. If abolishing the jury system is signed into law, good luck to those who get caught up in the system. If the judge doesn't like you, goodbye. If you are poor, good luck.