Sierra Leone’s President, His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio has today approved the nomination of Court of Appeal Judge, Honourable Justice Fatmatta Bintu Alhadi to the Supreme Court following her recommendation by the Judicial and Legal Service Commission (JLSC).
Justice Alhadi is a successful jurist with over two decades of multifaceted legal experience spanning national and international jurisdictions. She went through the ranks from being a High Court Judge, Court of Appeal and now Supreme Court Judge. Her career has been described as a deep commitment to justice delivery with integrity.
Summary of the profile of The Honourable (Mrs) Justice Fatmatta Bintu Alhadi
• Called to the English Bar 24 years ago at the Inn of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple.
• Called to the Sierra Leone Bar almost 22years ago.
• Graduated from the Roehampton Institute of the University of Surrey in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honours in Education and Sociology; Middlesex University with a Post-Graduate Diploma in Law (Common Professional Examination of the Bar Council of England and Wales); and the University of Liverpool with a Master of Laws degree in International Finance and Banking Law.
• Attended St. Ann’s Primary School at Howe Street and St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Brookfields in Freetown, and Merton College of Further Education in England.
• Before returning to Sierra Leone in 2002, worked for the Parole Board of England and Wales, and for the Criminal Policy Group of the Home Office in the United Kingdom.
• Practised law at the Chambers of Wright and Co; and Banda-Thomas and Co in Freetown and later at her own private practice.
• Prosecuted on behalf of the State at the Law Officers’ Department for 2 years.
• Between 2004 and 2006, worked for the Special Court of Sierra Leone as an Independent Prosecutor on contempt offences and as an Investigator.
• Worked for Guaranty Trust Bank (SL) Limited as the Group Head of the Legal, Corporate Affairs and Human Resources Departments and later as the Company Secretary between 2009 and April 2015.
• Between January and June of 2014, headed the Legal Affairs Department of the Financial Intelligence Unit of Sierra Leone.
• Appointed Judge of the High Court of Sierra Leone in 2015; and in a span of 5 years sat in the Commercial, Criminal, Civil, and the Anti-Corruption Divisions of the High Court.
• Promoted to the Court of Appeal of Sierra Leone in 2020.
• She sat and sits on several committees of the Sierra Leone Judiciary including: the Rules of Court Committee, the Judicial and Legal Training Institute, the Integrity Management Committee amongst others.
• She is a Supervisor of the High Court.
• She lectured and lectures Professional Ethics; Commercial Law and Practice at the Sierra Leone Law School.
• She is a former Vice–President of the Sierra Leone Bar Association.
• She is a former Vice–President of the female lawyers organisation called L.A.W.Y.E.R.S. (Legal Access Through Women Yearning for Equality, Rights and Social Justice). Strongly advocated for the rights of women and girls and did many matters on a pro bono basis as prosecutor and defence counsel.
• She is a Member of the Commonwealth Association of Magistrates and Judges.
• She was a commissioner of the Corporate Affairs Commission.
• She is affiliated to several Women Organisations.
• She was made an Honorary Fellow of the International Professional Managers Association of England in May 2021; in recognition of meritorious and dedicated judicial service of excellence.
• She was awarded by the Women’s Forum of Sierra Leone in November 2021, in recognition of a dynamic role in enhancing social justice and the empowerment of women and girls in Sierra Leone.
• She was unanimously elected to be Called to the Bench of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple Inn of England and Wales in April 2022. The 1st African and 1st Sierra Leonean to be Called to such a prestigious position of the Middle Temple Inn, which is one of the four Inns of Court in England and Wales.
