FREETOWN, 8th October 2026 – Lead Counsel for the opposition All People’s Congress (APC), Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara (JFK), has been granted bail hours after he was detained for contempt of court during the ongoing landmark hearing on the Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2025 at the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone.
JFK, a former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, was sent to prison on Thursday morning following a contentious exchange with the bench over an order to apologize and withdraw a statement he made during Wednesday’s proceedings.
According to courtroom reports, Chief Justice Komba Kamanda ordered Kamara to remove his wig and enter the dock after the Court ruled that his earlier apology was inadequate.
The five-judge panel, led by Justice Kamanda, had directed Kamara on Wednesday to retract a statement in which he questioned the propriety of the Attorney-General’s filings.
Kamara maintained that he had already apologized and retracted the statement, but the Court insisted on an express withdrawal in specific terms.
His refusal to comply in the manner ordered by the Court led to a charge of contempt in the face of the Court and an order for his detention at the Male Correctional Centre on Pademba Road.
The contempt proceedings were a spillover from Day One of the hearing on Tuesday, 7th October, when JFK challenged the Attorney-General’s Office for filing a Notice of Objection without filing a Statement of Case and affidavit in response to the reference filed by the applicants.
The challenge sparked a heated exchange, prompting Chief Justice Kamanda to caution that “the Supreme Court is not a political platform but an institution founded on independence and integrity,” and to remind all counsel to maintain proper courtroom decorum.
Bail and Adjournment
Following representations by the Sierra Leone Bar Association and senior members of the defence team, including African Bar Association President Charles F. Margai and Dr. Abdulai O. Conteh, the Court later granted a bail application for Kamara.
The granting of bail now paves the way for his release while the wider constitutional proceedings continue.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has adjourned the substantive hearing on the constitutional reference to Tuesday, 13th October 2026.
The case, brought by civil society groups and opposition figures, seeks interpretation on whether Parliament met the constitutional threshold of 100 of 149 MPs under Section 108(2)(b) of the 1991 Constitution to pass the Bill that seeks to reduce the presidential victory threshold from 55% to 50% plus one, return to Proportional Representation, and introduce a 30% quota for women in political party leadership.
