The Sierra Leone Bar Association (SLBA) has Tuesday 19th May, 2020 expressed its utmost dissatisfactions over the invitation of one of their members, lawyer Ade Macualey by Police at the Criminal Investigations Department.
SLBA in a strongly worded press release issued Wednesday 20th May, 2020, charged at the spate of “scare-mongering increasingly perpetrated by the Sierra Leone Police among very responsible and peaceful citizens in the realm.”
The pro-rule of law pressure group said; “we would legally challenge any attempt of using the powers to investigate as a weapon to silent legal practitioners in the performance of their duties.”
The Bar Association said they are in receipt of several complaints from its membership with regards abuse of suspects’ pre-trial rights by the SLP during investigations.
Such abuses according to their press release ranging from; over detention of suspects, deprivation of suspects’ access to legal representation during detention and obtaining statements and suspects’ rights to communication with their legal representatives in confidence as stipulated in Section (17 (2) b and 17 (3) of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone. Act No. 6 of 1991)
The Bar Association is deeply disturbed by the news of invitation of Ade Macauley Esq of Tuesday 19th May 2020 on the basis that he was being investigated for “preventing the course of justice” merely because an online publication alluded to him as leader of a defence team for certain accused persons.
The Bar Association finds all the above highly unfortunate and reprehensible. We are constrained to state that we view these actions as an attack on the legal profession and an attempt to denigrate the legal profession and their duties in representing their clients.
The legal professionals’ firm reactions emerge following numerous arrests and over detentions of Dr Sylvia Olayinka Blyden, the wife of Rtd. Major Alfred Paolo Conteh and host of other politically motivated detainees for well over three weeks now.
Over concerns of his personal safety the senior Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of Sierra Leone, Anti-corruption expert, Criminal and Human Rights Litigation Advocate,
Mr Macauley twitted; “I was invited and questioned for three hours on Tuesday by the CID on allegations of perverting the Course of Justice on account of an article about my clients Paolo Coteh and Sylvia Blyden written by someone I don’t know. I was released on self recognizance.”
