Prominent lawyer Rowland Wright has urged the Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Segepoh Solomon Thomas, to seek a Supreme Court opinion on the tribunal established by President Bio to investigate suspended Auditor General Lara Taylor-Pearce and her Deputy, Tamba Momoh, for alleged professional misconduct.
In his letter, Wright expressed concerns about the tribunal’s constitutional legitimacy. He noted that following Taylor-Pearce's suspension, President Bio set up the tribunal on November 17, 2021. Wright had previously raised issues regarding the tribunal’s establishment, composition, and terms of reference, arguing that they were ultra vires the constitution.
Despite his efforts, including filing an urgent
application to the Supreme Court on December 20, 2021, these concerns have not
been addressed, leaving the tribunal’s constitutional validity in question.
Wright emphasized that despite his application being of “utmost urgency,” the Chief Justice of Sierra Leone, Justice Babatunde Edwards, did not assign it to a Supreme Court panel. This inaction prevented the Supreme Court from ruling on these significant constitutional issues.
Wright filed another application on March 16, 2022, seeking to halt the
tribunal’s proceedings until the Supreme Court resolved these concerns.
However, this application also remains unaddressed.
The tribunal continued its investigation without
Supreme Court adjudication. Despite assurances, Wright and his client have
yet to receive a copy of the tribunal’s report, which was presented to
President Bio on June 12, 2024. Wright stressed that without the report, they
cannot make any further legal applications.
Wright urged the Speaker to consider the
constitutional implications and seek a Supreme Court opinion before Parliament
votes on the tribunal’s report. He warned that proceeding without resolving
these issues could set a dangerous constitutional precedent.
He concluded with a call for procedural
correctness, quoting, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you,” and emphasized the need for
justice to operate on “serviceable and properly inflated tyres” in Sierra
Leone.
The highly respected lawyer Rowland Wright has called on the Speaker of Parliament to seek a Supreme Court opinion on the tribunal investigating suspended Auditor General Lara Taylor-Pearce and her Deputy, Tamba Momoh. Wright questioned the tribunal’s constitutional legitimacy and highlighted the unaddressed issues regarding its establishment, composition, and terms of reference.
Despite filing urgent applications to the Supreme Court, Wright’s concerns have not been resolved, and the tribunal’s report has not been provided to him and his client.
Wright urged the Speaker to consider the constitutional implications and seek a Supreme Court opinion before Parliament votes on the tribunal’s report, warning that proceeding without resolution could set a dangerous constitutional precedent.
