By Nasratu Kargbo
Leader of the main opposition party in Parliament Chernor Maju Bah representing constituency 126 has asked that the justice system expedite the Audit Service case.
Speaking in parliament on the 30th May 2022 on the issue of justice in relation to President Julius Maada Bio’s address to parliament last month, Bah said: “The office of the auditor general is very sensitive, the more they expedite it (tribunal), the better for us as a nation”.
He recognised the sensitive nature of audit service in fighting against corruption and stressed the need to get started, with the tribunal, set up by the government to look into the operations of the audit service.
Bah said he was not directly speaking about the case before the tribunal, which will be considered prejudicial, but was concerned about the tendency of the matter to dent the country’s image as it drags on.
He said despite the issues raised by the Auditor-General Lara Taylor-Pearce when his party was in governance, they never sacked her, but took all the points mentioned in good faith.
“We believe in transparency; that is why we never sacked the auditor -general”, he said.
He also raised the issue of politician Mohamed Kamarainba Mansaray who is facing sexual offence charges involving a minor, and noted that it was a matter of justice delayed, and asked that the case be sped up like that of Paolo Conteh. He also mentioned what he said were a series of arrests carried out in the last four years.
Bah called on the leadership of parliament to ensure all outstanding human rights issues from 2018 to the present, be looked into and addressed.
The President in his speech on the 10th May 2022 said a prosperous nation cannot exist without the freedom of its citizens, and that without justice there cannot be freedom.
He had used the maxim that "justice delayed is justice denied’’ and had explained how his government has worked to ensure that more people have access to justice within a fair amount of time.
Taylor –Pearce and her deputy Tamba Momoh were suspended from office last year and were later arraigned for a tribunal hearing, which is yet to fully commence.
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