Sierra Leone - September 2025

In September, President Julius Maada Bio suspended Supreme Court judge Allan Halloway for misconduct, shortly after Halloway made public complaints against the Chief Justice, whose behaviour, he claimed, was undermining judicial independence and the administration of justice. The allegations made by Halloway against Chief Justice Komba Kamanda included recalling cases from judges before they had been concluded, interfering in a case he had been assigned and withholding his employment benefits. No reason was given for the suspension, which followed a recommendation by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission (JLSC), chaired by the Chief Justice. The ambiguity was heavily criticised by a senior member of the Commission, Judge Reginald Sydney Fynn. The suspension was also criticised by Sierra Leone’s Lawyer’s Society, which alleged the JLSC had failed to adhere to a constitutional requirement that a tribunal be established before a judge is suspended. 

Sources: Sierra Leone Telegraph, Sierra Leone Concord Times, Truth Media, The Lawyer's Society of Sierra Leone