By Chernor Alimamy Kamara
The Centre for Accountability and the Rule of Law (CARL) and the Justice Sector Coordination Office (JSCO) have held a two-day stakeholders retreat with Members of Parliament (MPs) of the Legislative Committee and other MPs on the Draft Criminal Procedure Bill, 2023.
The two-day retreat was held at the Sierra Palms Hotel in Freetown on the 14th-15th of November 2023.
In an interview with pressmen, the Executive Director of CARL, Ibrahim Tommy noted that the process of reviewing the Criminal Procedure Act of 1965 has been on since 2005, and that significant progress has been made in the last few years in their collective efforts to have the revised Law enacted. He said the retreat was to basically invite MPs especially those on the legislative committee as well as other heads of committees to have a preview of the Bill before it is formally introduced in Parliament.
He also said that the other objective is to introduce the bill to MPs and give them an opportunity to raise questions and make recommendations to not only the text of the Bill but also the collective aim of expanding access to justice and making sure that the country’s criminal justice system is responsive to the justice needs of all.
Tommy stated that MPs who will be debating the bill and approving it in Parliament would have the chance to raise questions, express doubt, and make recommendations for improvement in the retreat.
“So basically that will mean that before we get to Parliament, half of the job is done. Keep in mind that when you get to Parliament, it is a different ball game altogether, but we are dealing with the potential hurdles before we get there,” he said.
He explained that the bill has benefited the participation of many Sierra Leoneans as they have taken MPs to their constituencies and have engaged the public about it. He said they are proposing a number of ‘progressive’ changes in the new bill, if passed into law will achieve speedy trials especially speedy preliminary investigations.
The Executive Director said that it is now called speedy preliminary investigations but when the bill is passed into law, it will be named Committal proceedings. He added that, at the moment there is a limited sentencing regime which is either fines or imprisonment but they have now introduced two additional suspended and deferred sentences.
“It means that if you are convicted at the moment of an offence, you are required to pay a fine or go to jail. But under the proposed Law, someone may be convicted or sentenced to jail, but the sentence may be suspended or deferred subject to the individual’s good behavior, “he said.
In his statement, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mohamed Lamin Tarawally expressed delight at the participation of stakeholders in the process which he said clearly shows their commitment to the review process. The initiative he said is in line with government’s efforts to address the challenges in the justice sector.
He said the government has also revised the condition of service of the justice sector and has made justice accessible to all Sierra Leoneans. He pointed out that emanating and enacting the new Criminal Procedure Act is part of the good work they have been doing and the significant progress made since this administration took office over 5 years ago. He therefore called on Parliamentarians to approve the new revised bill.
The Centre for Accountability and the Rule of Law is a civil society group that promotes Accountability and the rule of law by monitoring public institutions and empowering citizens with knowledge on governance issues.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (17/11/23)
