By Mabinty M. Kamara
Network Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD) has presented literature materials to the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone as part of efforts to support the efficiency of the judicial system, human rights and the rule of law.
The 15 cartoons of books included legal journals, reports and other related texts which will also be useful to law students.
Presenting the items to Chief Justice Babatunde Edwards, on Wednesday 17th March 2021, the legal representative of NMJD, Daniel Fofonah, said the materials comprised reports and other literature by American authors and that they would be useful to the judges and lawyers.
Chief Executive Director of NMJD, Abu Brima, said they were happy to contribute something meaningful to the judiciary, adding that the gesture was not an individual effort but that it was supported by the Jack Mason Law and Democracy Initiative for Peace in Africa, an institution that supports judiciary in different parts of the world to access legal materials.
The book he said was shipped by Dosing and Whitney legal firm based in the United States of America and that the consignment was received by the Sierra Leone Book Trust.
He said his partners wanted to start with other areas like human right and democracy but his legal team was able to convince them that they should start with the judiciary. He said they had a series of other good plans ahead to support the judiciary.
“We have been in touch since 2019 and a lot of things have been planned but this is just one product that we have realized out of that. Some of the things that were said to be important were about the security of the books against weather, against theft, against misuse and to ensure that it is accessible by those who really need them,” he said.
In his response, the Chief Justice applauded the organization for the support and called on other individuals and institutions to emulate their example. He added that the judiciary was on the verge of restructuring its library and the materials could just be useful.
The CJ, however, called on the organization and its partners to consider supporting them with a digital library because the subscription could be costlier for the judiciary to afford.
He added that books might occupy a lot of space, which they didn’t have, but would still need access to all the available legal journals online, adding that the donated books would be secured and properly utilized for the benefits of the judiciary.
Copyright © 2021 Politico Online (19/03/21)
