By Feima Sesay
Wara Serry Kamal and Augustine Sorie -Sengbe Marrah , the two presedential candidates together with some Aggrieved Members of the Sierra Leone Bar Association have in a Joint statement said that the just announced executive members of the Bar Association is illegal and an affront to democracy and rule of law .
Both candidates further condemned the event at their AGM in Kenema.
They spoke to journalists at press conference held at the New Brookfields Hotel in Freetown .
This came following allegations of irregularities, violence and forceful election of new leadership within the Sierra Leone Bar Association.
The Joint press statement by Augustine S. Marrah and Wara Serry-Kamal Condemned the entire events at the Annual General Meeting of the Sierra Leone Bar Association in Kenema on 18th May
2024.
According to them, the events at the Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) of the Sierra Leone Bar Association held in Kenema represent a grave assault on the principles of democracy, transparency, and integrity that the association is founded upon.
The actions and inactions of the Board of Directors at this AGM, which have led to a declaration of a purported executive that was not duly elected, they said are not only illegal but also deeply troubling.
Before the date of the AGM, they said they made concerted efforts to enhance the integrity, transparency, and accountability of the electoral process.
” Our actions included the following:
1. Court Applications: – Solicitors for Julian Cole Esq., Wara Serry-Kamal, and Joy Precious Bayoh filed applications in court aimed at ensuring greater participation of members. These applications sought voting by proxy, early publication and verification of the voters list, among other things”
The courts they said refused to grant these applications.
Secondly, security concerns they said was raised by Wara Serry-Kamal, through two letters addressed to the Inspector General of Police, requesting a meeting with the Sierra Leone Police to discuss and address security concerns ahead of the conference but her requests for a meeting were not granted.
Thirdly Proposed Meetings by Augustine S. Marrah and Wara Serry-Kamal, through letters addressed to the outgoing President of the Bar, proposing a meeting with the directors of the association. The purpose was to discuss and outline a clear pathway for the electoral process. The President they said declined to meet with them.
These events confirm that what occurred at the AGM in Kenema was enabled by the Association’s Directors, and the position of the Sierra Leone Police and the Court did not help the situation.
”It is with great disappointment that we address the series of undemocratic man overs orchestrated by the Association’s directors and their enablers in Kenema. These include the blatant disregard for the electoral process and the disenfranchisement of members, which are clear violations of the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Sierra Leone Bar Association, the Companies Act 2009 (as amended) and ethical principles of decency and integrity”
Manipulation of Voter List according to the. was evident from the outset that the integrity of the voter list was compromised. Members who had duly paid their dues found their names omitted from the list, an issue that was raised by some members and yet was not addressed by the directors.
”Unlawful Agenda Changes, The amendment of the agenda to commence voting prematurely at exactly 12pm, when in fact the time slated for registration and arrival of members was 12 to 1pm, was a calculated move to disenfranchise colleagues who were traveling from Bo & Freetown and whose movement had been strangely blocked by a truck on the Bo-Kenema highway.
Imposition of a Returning Officer and the purported appointment of Francis Kaifala, the Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption immission, as Returning Officer, despite objection to his nomination on the grounds of conflict of interest; the omission to put the other nomination of Julius ye Cuffie including Mr. Kaifala’s to a vote by the members; and the retusal to allow the usual practice of appointing three senior members of the Bar present in the hall to assist the Returning Officer, which would have ensured a fair process they said is unacceptable.
The acts of Francis Kaifala, the ACC boss, purportedly acting as the Electoral Commissioner they said undermine the very democratic processes they seek to uphold.
Sham Electoral Process: The purported elections presided over by Francis Ben Kaifala was conducted without recourse to any verified voter list; in a hall shut down by security personnel on the instructions of Mr. Kaifala, after security personnel had dispersed with pepper-spray and/or teargas a majority of the members who were present. That only a handful”of members (including other unidentified persons) who were in support of Tuma Jabbi and who mostly wore blue wrist bands were allowed to vote.
Other fully paid-up members were denied ballot papers while those with the blue wrist bands received multiple ballots. The handful of voters for Tuma Jabbi, under the watchful eyes of Francis Kaifala, were able to mysteriously generate among them, the total of 560 votes for Tuma Jabbi in the purported election for president of the Bar Association.
”In view of the events narrated above which are an affront to the values of integrity, accountability, and democracy” we take the following positions:
1. The executive purportedly selected at the AGM in Kenema does not represent the will of paid-up members of the Sierra Leone Bar Association. We do not recognize them as duly elected.
2. We shall explore all legal means to ensure that an election of directors of the Association consistent with democratic standards is held as soon as possible.
3. We shall also explore all accountability measures against all those who were complicit in the sham electoral process
remain steadfast in the face of these challenges.
We urge all members of the Sierra Leone Bar Association to join us in this call for justice and to
Together, we can reclaim our Bar Association and its voice; uphold the standards of democracy and fairness that we all cherish.
