By Kemo Cham
Campaign for Human Rights Development International (CHRDI) has called on the Sierra Leone government to intervene to save the judiciary, which it says is plagued by reports of alleged abuse and systemic failures.
CHRDI in a statement issued earlier this week outlined a string of actions that amounts to abuse of power and corruption within the leadership of the judiciary, which it fears threatens the independence of the justice system. The rights based social policy advocacy organization cited complaints it received from judiciary employees that it says revealed a “troubling pattern” of harassment, discrimination and abused, warning that these conditions violated fundamental human rights.
According to CHRDI, administrative judiciary staff members report going without salary for months, as alleged consequence of an ongoing internal investigation, whose legitimacy the campaign group questions.
The judiciary leadership is also accused of practicing preferential treatment among its staff, thereby compromising the effectiveness of the justice system.
“The judiciary itself is under severe strain. The shortage of judges and magistrates has led to a backlog of cases, overwhelming some while others remain underutilized due to a practice known as “forum shopping,” where cases are assigned to favoured judges,” CHRDI said in its statement.
“This imbalance further impacts the efficiency of and credibility of the justice system,” it added.
CHRDI also raised concerns about alleged executive interference in the work of the judiciary, noting that court orders have been allegedly ignored.
“Such actions threaten judicial independence and undermine the state’s commitment to justice,” it said.
CHRDI further reiterated a longstanding call for the financial autonomy of the judiciary, stable leadership and professional development that is free from external influence.
But the publication by the campaign group didn’t go down well with the office of the Acting Chief Justice, Nicholas Browne-Marke, which responded with a damning statement that described the claims as unfounded.
According to the statement from its Communications unit, the Judiciary has always upheld its core values of independence, impartiality, equality, accountability and integrity, among others. It cited efforts that were geared towards curtailing the problem of unjust reassignment of files from one Judicial Officer to the other.
The statement claimed that these accusations might have come from “ill motivated citizens who benefitted from the previously” corrupt system, as retaliation in the form of a campaign of calumny against the judiciary.
“This self-serving campaign is largely due to the fact that they’re no longer in any position to choose the adjudicating body before which their cases should be heard; or dictate their terms to the judiciary as was the case in the not too distant past…,” it said.
The judiciary insists that like any other public body, it retains “inherent powers” to discipline any staff whose conduct it deems inimical to its core values, growth and development.
It also claimed that it maintains a fair and impartial policy on promotion as provided for by the Judicial and Legal Service Commission.
