Justice Alfred Ganda has reserved his ruling until Friday, July 25, 2025, in a high-profile legal battle involving two disqualified presidential candidates and the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA).
The case, brought forward by Thomas Daddy Brima and Aminata Bangura, seeks to halt the SLFA’s upcoming Elective Congress scheduled for August 2, pending the outcome of their appeal against disqualification.
The respondents in the matter include the SLFA and its Acting General Secretary, Engineer Mohamed Benson Bawoh.
During proceedings at the High Court in Freetown, lead counsel for the applicants, Augustine Sorie-Sengbeh Marah, urged the court to grant an interim injunction to stop the congress.
He argued that the integrity of the election process would be compromised if it were allowed to proceed before the appeal is resolved.
He also emphasized that the court should not delve into the merits of the Appeals Committee’s decision, but rather focus on ensuring due process is upheld.
Thomas Daddy Brima, a former SLFA president, was barred from contesting by the association’s Ethics Board over allegations of passport forgery and document falsification. Meanwhile, Aminata Bangura was disqualified for reportedly submitting false fingerprint information to the Criminal Investigations Department.
In defense, counsel for the SLFA, Brima Koroma, argued that both Brima and Bangura are not recognized members of the football body under Article 10 of the SLFA’s 2019 statutes. As such, he claimed they lack the legal capacity to bring the matter to court.
The football community now awaits Friday’s ruling, which will determine whether the highly anticipated Elective Congress can go ahead or be delayed pending the resolution of the legal challenge.
