The Legal Aid Board has secured the discharge of eighteen accused persons from separate High Court sittings across the country from 5 June to 12 July 2023.
Four of the accused persons were discharged by Justice Sulaiman Bah in Freetown; three by Justice Cosmotina Jarrett in Freetown; five by Justice A.R Mansaray in Kabala; five by Justice Mohamed Bawoh in Magburaka and one was acquitted and discharged by Justice A K Musa.
Speaking to the seven accused persons discharged by the courts in Freetown at the Legal Aid Board office in Freetown prior to their return into mainstream society, the Executive Director of the Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles admonished them to work hard for a living, be law abiding and seek redress through local authorities and the Police.
‘When you return to your community make sure you contribute to its wellbeing’ she said, adding ‘Involving in crime in the name of fighting for survival is totally wrong, you must desist from it.’
Ms. Carlton-Hanciles expressed gratitude to the Chief Justice, Justice Babatunde Edwards and the entire judiciary for dispensing justice without any fear and favour in releasing the innocent accused persons.
She thanked the Legal Aid Counsels for a job well done despite the enormous pressure they were under in the period leading to and after the elections. She assured of the Board’s continued commitment in ensuring that the poor and vulnerable are represented in the courts.
Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, one of the beneficiaries, Ramadan Bah who was discharged on charges of fraudulent conversion thanked the Board for its intervention, noting that they were pleased with the outcome of their matters. He assured the Board of their commitment to be peaceful and law-abiding citizens.
The clients in Freetown were represented by Legal Aid Counsels Morrison Karimu and Abraham Kargbo, while those in Kabala, Magburaka and Kono were represented by Counsels A.T Jalloh, J.E Turay and A.O Kamara respectively.
