By Vandi Musa-Jabbie
After doing test-runs with Charles Francis Margai, Dr Priscilla Schwartz, and Anthony Brewah; President Julius Maada Bio seems to have hit the jackpot with the appointment on 18 January 2022 of Mohamed Lamin Tarawalley as Attorney General and Minister of Justice. This appointment has proven to be one of the best decisions the Commander-in-Chief has ever made since he came to power in 2018.
Mohamed Lamin Tarawalley has not only proven to be one of the most trusted lieutenants of the President, but one of the few government ministers who truly believe in the President’s agenda and has been working assiduously for his boss to achieve his goals. His calm and unassuming demeanor, while carrying out his official duties, always gives him the metaphorical aura of a calmly floating duck working very hard below the water’s surface!
As Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mohamed Lamin Tarawalley has achieved what some of his well-known and erudite predecessors like Solomon Berewa and Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara (JFK) were unable to achieve. Unlike JFK who unsuccessfully tried to amend some portions of the Criminal Procedure Act of 1965; the current Minister of Justice was able to convince the Sierra Leone House of Parliament to pass into law the new Criminal Procedure Act, 2024. This new law is no mean feat as it can be viewed as a forward-thinking reform aimed at enhancing the efficiency, consistency, and reliability of the legal system. It could also help to mitigate potential biases and prejudices, expedite the trial process, and ensure that decisions are made by individuals with the necessary expertise and knowledge.
And unlike Berewa under whose tenure treason trials were questionable as they reminded citizens of the “show trials” in Communist Russia under Josef Stalin; whilst he was the Solicitor-General, Sierra Leoneans across the political divide saw, for the first time in the country’s history, a first accused person, Retired Major Alfred Palo Conteh, being acquitted and discharged on three treason offences after two months of intense trial at the Freetown High Court. So, now that he is the current Attorney General and Minister of Justice, it will be a little hard-sell for people to proffer an argument of bias against the 12-person jury who returned recent guilty verdicts in the matter between the State and Amadu Koita Makalo and 11 others.
What is interesting in the matter between the State and Amadu Koita Makalo and 11 others is the manner in which Mohamed Lamin Tarawalley guided the State Prosecutors throughout the treason trials which lasted for five months and two weeks. For every trial, it is the duty of the prosecutors to present a credible case, backed by enough irrefutable evidence, before the Bench to get convictions. That’s exactly what the State Prosecutors did in the just concluded treason trials.
It should be noted that in their allocutus and pleas in mitigation, in the matter between the State and Amadu Koita Makalo and 11 others, some of the convicts and their lawyers pleaded that justice be tampered with mercy as they (the convicts) were breadwinners of their families. The prosecutors in their reply submitted that the law was respecter of no man and the convicts whose actions threatened the security of the State and killed several security personnel and officers on 26 November 2023 whilst executing their lawful authority must be punished to the fullest so as to deter others from undertaking such a dangerous cause in the future.
Also of note is the counter-argument adduced by State Prosecutors to the convicts’ argument that they were breadwinners. The State had argued that the fallen security personnel, who were killed in the brave attempts to defend the Sate, were also breadwinners and had families. So, the State and their families in particular needed justice.
Apart from the recent achievements of State Counsel, under the watch and guidance of Mohamed Lamin Tarawalley, the Office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice has recently scored several successes that need to be highlighted here. In May this year the Report of the Tribunal, set up to investigate the former Auditor General Mrs. Lara Taylor-Pearce and her Deputy Mr Tamba Momoh, was concluded. And the rest, they, say is now history.
When Patrick John and others took the Chief Returning Officer of the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL) Mohamed Konneh and the Attorney General to court; State Counsel presented a robust defence which saw the State winning again. And when Lawyer Sorie Sengbe Marrah challenged the results of the June 24, 2023 results in Court; State Counsel followed the procedure laid out in the Supreme Court rules which saw the matter being struck out for non-compliance!
Amongst the other feats Mohamed Lamin Tarawalley which has accomplished as Attorney General and Minister of Justice are the tabling in parliament of the Public Elections Act, 2022, which is an Act to repeal and replace the Public Elections Act, 2012 (Act No. 4 of 2012); The Political Parties Regulation Commission Act 2022, and in June 2022, he worked tirelessly to ensure that the Constitutional Amendment Act 2022 was passed in a fair and transparent manner. His dedication to ensuring that the Constitution was, and still is, upheld and that amendments were, and still are, passed in accordance with its guidelines is a testament to his commitment to serving the people of Sierra Leone.
On 28 February 2022, at the Freetown International Conference Centre at Aberdeen, he pledged to take critical steps in addressing human trafficking. He said the Justice Department would continue to forge strong collaborations and increase cooperation and coordination amongst key government Ministries, Departments and Agencies, as well as Civil Society Organizations, NGOs, the private sector, foreign governments, and UN agencies, in achieving the objectives of the National Action Plan.
It is indeed true that when a child washes his hands clean, he will be allowed to join the elders at the dining table. Mohamed Lamin Tarawalley, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, has not only washed his hands clean but has comported himself so well that he seems to be one of those ministers in whom President Bio is well pleased!