By Politico Staff Writer
The Sierra Leone Bar Association (SLBA) held its Annual Conference at the Albertson Hotel in Kenema over the weekend that was graced by legal luminaries and personalities, in order to deliberate on pertinent issues relating to the Association including its status quo, the challenges faced and how to chart the way forward.
During the last day of the two-day conference, an election was conducted among its membership in order to have a New Executive in place that will steer the affairs of the Association until the next conference.
Emerging as the Bar Association Treasurer-Unopposed was Martina Egbenda, a charismatic and result-oriented Barrister and Solicitor at Law who is also currently the Director of Legal and Corporate Affairs Department at the National Revenue Authority (NRA).
The newly elected Bar Association’s Treasurer in an exclusive interview disclosed that she currently has eight years-experience in the legal practice with specialities in Legal research, project management, administration and Legal Advisory services.
She furthered that as a notable Legal Practitioner, she has got immense experience in Civil as well as Criminal Litigation in the Superior Courts of Judicature in Sierra Leone and has led prosecutions and secured convictions in several matters for the State as well as having gained convictions in special Criminal sessions in the High Courts of Sierra Leone.
Martina pointed out that she has received compliments having excelled in winning notable cases and for providing Legal advisory services to noteworthy institutions like the Sierra Leone Legal and Information Institute, Financial Intelligence Unit, Constitutional Review Committee and State Counsel Department in the Ministry of Justice.
Sounding the views of some of her colleagues after the conference, they intimated that Martina has also distinguished herself by many remarkable achievements.
One of them revealed that during her time at the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), Martina was part of a team of experts who drafted the action plan for the National Money Laundering and Terrorism financial risk assessment.
“Whilst working for the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC), Martina undertook a comparative research and analysis on other constitutions in the sub- region to ascertain how these laws can be adapted for our own laws here in Sierra Leone. The result of that wedged an independent chapter of Information and Communication which has been added in the abridged draft report of the proposed Constitution of Sierra Leone,” a male lawyer admitted.
“Martina embodies a blend of an Administrator and a Legal Practitioner and many of us often applaud her for her multi-disciplinary qualities,” a Senior Legal personality stated adding how she has received a lot of accolades when she successfully implemented and managed diverse projects and programs on behalf of the Judiciary of Sierra Leone for different international organizations like the United Nations Development Programme UNDP, Open Society Initiative for West Africa OSIWA and UK- Sierra Leone Pro Bono Project.
Those projects have reportedly contributed immensely to the development of the Judiciary in Sierra Leone.
In November 2018, Martina was appointed by the Board of the National Revenue Authority as its Director, Legal and Corporate Affairs. In this role, she provides Legal services, makes proposal for effective legislation and enforcement of tax laws on behalf of the Authority. She is a proud member of an array of professional associations in Sierra Leone including the Sierra Leone Bar Association, Bar Association Law Reporting Committee, Legal Access through Women Yearning for Equality Rights and Social Justice and a host of others.
She holds a Masters of Law (LLM) in Comparative Constitutional Law from the Central European University (Budapest, Hungary), a Bachelor Degree in Law LLB (Hons.) Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, Barrister at Law (BL) Council of Legal Education, Sierra Leone Law School, a Certificate in Oil and Gas Exploration, Sierra Leone Civil service Training College, and a host of others.
Copyright © 2020 Politico Online
