Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio has revoked a pardon granted to a convicted murderer, two weeks after he was released amid public outcry.
The presidency announced the decision on Monday, in a statement which also said that President Bio had instituted an investigation into the process leading to the inclusion of Baimba Moiforay in the list of those pardoned on January 1, 2022.
Mr Moiforay, better known as LAC, was widely considered as a magician. He was jailed in 2016 after his conviction by a High Court for the brutal murder of a popular disc jockey named Sydney David Buckle, widely known as DJ Clef.
The murder in 2015 happened at the home of the LAC, according to court testimonies.
LAC and one of his two co-accused were subsequently found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging. The third accused was freed for lack of evidence.
The case captivated the public, partly due to the interest it generated, especially among artists who mounted pressure, including street protests, to get the authorities investigate the incident. A group of artists called the All Stars released a music video clip as tribute to their deceased colleague.
As a result of the repeal of the death penalty in Sierra Leone last year, LAC’s death sentence was commuted to life. He had served less than six years of his time when he was named among 160 people who were released from prisons across the country.
The Sierra Leone Constitution provides for the president to extend pardon to prisoners under the Prerogative of Mercy provision. This power is exercised twice in a year: on New Year and on the country’s Independence Day.
There is a strict procedure in place for this, to ensure that the right people benefit from it. The Vice President chairs a committee that identifies those eligible for the pardon, for subsequent presidential approval.
News of LAC’s inclusion on the list provoked heated debate among Sierra Leoneans, especially on social media, with questions about whether the president or his handlers had any idea whom he had pardoned.
Shortly after his release, a purported video of LAC maintaining his innocence as part of a church testimony appeared on social media.
The question many Sierra Leoneans who were critical about the decision have been asking is: between the office of the president and the office of Vice president, where the error occurred.
This is one answer the probe promised by the presidency must provide.
Meanwhile, public focus has quickly been directed to the current location of the man at the center of the issue.
Rumors circulating on social media indicate that LAC has since left the country.
A spokesman for the Sierra Leone Correctional Services declined to comment on the issue when contacted by ManoReporters.
