Freetown – The Lawyers’ Society of Sierra Leone has called for the immediate reinstatement of Justice A. B. Halloway, warning that his suspension threatens judicial independence and undermines public confidence in the courts.
In a strongly worded statement issued this week, the Society revealed that Justice Halloway’s suspension came while he was facing a disciplinary probe stemming from a complaint he himself had lodged against the Chief Justice.
The group noted that before the suspension, Justice Halloway had written multiple letters to the Chief Justice over unpaid statutory allowances, employment benefits, removal from case panels, and exclusion from hearings—issues the Society says affected his health and amounted to human rights violations.
The statement stressed that the Judicial and Legal Service Commission should have first heard Halloway’s complaint, arguing that suspending a sitting judge before such a review “jeopardizes the legitimacy of judicial grievances” and breaches constitutional safeguards.
“If judges are not permitted to air grievances, the judiciary cannot remain strong or cohesive,” the Society warned, adding that the Constitution’s provisions “have not been followed in this matter.”
The Lawyers’ Society urged President Julius Maada Bio to reverse the suspension and return the case to the Judicial and Legal Service Commission. It also offered to work with the Judicial Ethics Committee to address Justice Halloway’s concerns and foster a judiciary “free from intimidation and marginalization,” which it described as essential to the fair administration of justice.
