In a heated letter, prominent lawyer Mohamed Pa Momo Fofana has condemned the conduct of the Sierra Leone Bar Association’s (SLBA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Kenema.
He specifically criticized the involvement of Sierra Leone’s Anti-Corruption Commissioner, Francis Ben Kaifala, in the electoral process, accusing him of “hijacking” the Bar.
“The Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission, in the person of Mr. Francis Ben Kaifala, had no business chairing the general elections,” Fofana stated.
He emphasized that Kaifala’s current role as the ACC Commissioner, a position that serves as a public watchdog against corruption, should have precluded him from overseeing the elections.
“Mr. Kaifala should have removed himself completely from conducting the said election,” he added.
Fofana also expressed outrage over the police involvement in the AGM. “The manner in which the Police is drawn into our activities as lawyers, including in particular our annual general elections, is shameful,” he wrote, highlighting incidents where the police allegedly fired tear gas and disrupted the election process.
Furthermore, Fofana accused Kaifala of altering the AGM agenda to advance the voting time, which he claims disenfranchised many SLBA members. “Elections were conducted after Mr. Kaifala had altered the agenda of the AGM to bring voting forward at a time when many members were on their way to the hall, thereby depriving them of their votes,” he explained.
As a result of these grievances, Fofana called for the annulment of the AGM and all its outcomes, urging the SLBA President to organize fresh elections. “I thus count on you, Madam President, to pursue this noble cause of restoring our historical image by doing what is right… ANNUL all AGM programs, processes and events held or purportedly held today in Kenema,” he urged.
Fofana’s letter underscores the need for transparency and integrity within the SLBA, emphasizing that without such principles, the association loses its moral ground to advocate for the rule of law in Sierra Leone.
