The suspension of Honourable Justice Allan B. Halloway (JSC) has sparked divided reactions within Sierra Leone’s legal community, with the Sierra Leone Bar Association (SLBA) urging due process while the Lawyers’ Society calls for the suspension to be reversed.
Justice Halloway’s suspension was formally communicated through a letter from the Secretary to the President dated 15 September 2025. The action followed a recommendation by the Judicial and Legal Service Commission (JLSC) during its 5 September meeting, in line with Section 137(6) of the 1991 Constitution. A three-member Disciplinary Tribunal has since been constituted to investigate allegations against the judge.
The controversy is particularly sensitive given that Justice Halloway had, weeks before his suspension, written letters of complaint accusing Chief Justice Komba Kamanda of intimidation, violation of his rights, and deliberate efforts to sideline him from court proceedings. In his letters of 11 August and 11 September 2025, he cited the withholding of statutory allowances, removal from case panels, and exclusion from hearings, claims he said had affected both his health and that of his mother. He argued these actions amounted to breaches of Section 138(3) of the Constitution and of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
In a statement, the SLBA said it would refrain from commenting on the substance of the allegations to avoid prejudicing the work of the Tribunal. However, it stressed the importance of fairness, transparency, and speed in handling the case. “The SLBA remains seised of the matter,” the Association noted, signaling its ongoing engagement.
The Lawyers’ Society, however, took a stronger stance, challenging both the basis and procedure of the suspension. It argued that constitutional provisions under Sections 137(5) and (6) had not been fully adhered to, since a tribunal should have been constituted before suspension, not afterward.
The Society also revealed that it had twice written to Chief Justice Kamanda in late August and early September seeking responses to Halloway’s complaints but received no acknowledgment. “The suspension of the Hon. Justice Halloway JSC risks suppressing legitimate grievances by judicial officers,” the Society said. “If grievances are not permitted to be aired, a stronger and more cohesive judiciary will not be feasible, which would ultimately affect public confidence in the judicial system.”
The Lawyers’ Society has therefore called on the presidency to reverse the suspension and remit the matter to the JLSC, working in collaboration with the Judicial Ethics Committee under the 2005 Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers.
