As a high-profile corruption case involving 29 officials continues in Sierra Leone, Namati’s Sonkita Conteh calls into question the legal and procedural basis for several recent bail orders, arguing that the perception of ‘unfettered discretion’ by Sierra Leonean judges ‘allows for unchecked abuses of the process’.
Conteh explains the vague legal bases for determining bail conditions in the West African country and argues for reform, including revision of the Criminal Procedure Act of 1964, which he says will “help rebuild public confidence in the criminal justice system and protect judicial officers from external interferences.”