Sierra Leone’s Supreme Court has discharged former Attorney-General Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara from a contempt case after accepting his unreserved apology.
Kamara, widely known as JFK, apologised to the court after being cited for contempt during proceedings over proposed amendments to the country’s constitution.
He acknowledged that his actions had caused a distraction, retracted his remarks and said his apology was sincere.
Chief Justice Komba Kamanda accepted the apology and warned lawyers to treat the matter with the seriousness it deserved.
Kamara’s discharge came five days after he was cited for contempt, following an exchange with the Chief Justice during the constitutional amendment proceedings.
The incident prompted concern among members of the legal profession, with colleagues appealing for leniency and the Lawyers’ Society of Sierra Leone calling for his release and a reconsideration of the contempt proceedings.
The underlying court case concerns challenges to the process through which Parliament passed the Constitution of Sierra Leone (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
The constitutional dispute is separate from the contempt proceedings against Kamara. His discharge following the apology does not resolve the substantive legal questions before the Supreme Court.
