Augustine Marah & Co Highlight Suspicions Of Rigging

On Tuesday 21 May 2024, Augustine S Marah and Wara Seray-Kamal, organized a Press Conference at the New Brookfields Hotel in Freetown, condemning the event at the Annual General meeting of the Sierra Leone Bar Association in Kenema on the 18 May 2024.

Speaking at the event, Jillian Cole, a Private Legal practitioner and Member of the Bar Association, welcomed everyone to the event, furthering that the most revered occasion they would have had of a subsequent AGM of the Sierra Leone Bar Association would have been, an occasion of coming together to celebrate a successful AGM, an occasion to continue to pursue the ideals and aspirations of the Sierra Leone Bar Association, under a leadership that would have been democratically elected.

They are here today to summon the Fourth Estate to witness a resolve that is predicated on a firm conviction that they cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the fraction of the law and violation of the principles of the progressive justice, good governance and rule of law, by a few people, who decided to murder democracy. Therefore, they are here to make it unequivocally clear that gone are the days to sit and allow perpetrators to continue to destroy the fabric of society.

According to a joint press release, which reads thus: “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 release further maintained that the actions and inactions of the Board of Directors at this AGM, which led to a declaration of a purported executive that was not duly elected, are not only illegal, but also deeply troubling.”

The release states that before the date of the AGM, “we 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 court refused to grant these applications.

The joint Press Release reiterates Security Concerns: – Wara Serry-Kamal, through two letters addressed to the Inspector General of Police, requested a meeting with the Sierra Leone Police to discuss and address security concerns ahead of the conference. Her requests for a meeting were not granted.

Proposed meetings: – We, Augustine S. Marrah and Wara Serry-Kamal, through letters addressed to the outgoing President of the Bar, proposed a meeting with the Directors of the Association. The purpose was to discuss and outline a clear pathway for the electoral process. The President declined to meet with us.

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 manoeuvres 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:  It 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 and Freetown, and whose movement had been strangely blocked by a truck on the Bo-Kenema highway.

Imposition of the Returning officer: The purported appointment of Francis Kaifala, the Commissioner of the Anti-corruption Commission, as Returning Officer, despite objection to his nomination on the ground of conflict of interest, the omission to put the other nomination of Julius Nye Cuffie, including Mr. Kaifala’s, to a vote by the members, and the refusal to allow the usual practice of appointing three senior members of the Bar present in the hall to assist the Returning Officer, which would ensure a fair process, is unacceptable. The acts of Francis Kaifala, ACC Boss, purportedly acting as the Electoral Commissioner, undermine the democratic processes we 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 or teargas, a good majority of members who were present. That only a hand full of members (including other unidentified persons), who were in support of Tuma jabbi, who mostly wore blue wrist bands, were allowed to vote. Other fully paid up members were denied ballot papers, while those with blue wrist bands received multiple ballots. The handful of voters of 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 position:

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.

We urge all members of the Sierra Leone Bar Association to join us in this call for justice and to remain steadfast in the face of these challenges.

Together, we can reclaim our Bar Association and its voices, uphold the standards of democracy and fairness that we all cherish.