By Politico Staff Writer
The Residual Special Court of Sierra Leone has sworn in Supreme Court Judge, Justice Alusine Sesay and Court of Appeal Judge, Justice Tonia Barnett as Judges of the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone on Tuesday 30th November this year at the Special Court Peace Museum in Freetown.
The two newly appointed judges made their declarations before Justice Jon Kamanda, President of the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone.
Justice Jon Kamanda said that the two judges have fulfilled the qualifications set out in Article 11 (2) of the Statutes of the Residual Special Court.
He added that the two new judges are succeeding the late Justice John Bankole Thompson who passed away in May and Justice Miatta Samba who was elected as a Judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2020.
Justice Kamanda added that the legal obligations of the Special Court include the supervision of prison sentences, witness protection, maintenance and preservation of the archives and assistance to national prosecution authorities among other things.
He congratulated the two judges and urged them to work in accordance with the law as laid out under Rule 14 (A) which prods them to serve with honesty, faithfulness, impartially and with good conscience as judges of the court.
The two judges have joined as members of the roster of 16 judges of the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone.
The event was well attended by the Chief Justice, Babatunde Edwards, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Anthony Brewah and the Registrar of the Residual Special Court representing the UN, Binta Mansaray.
The Registrar of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, Binta Mansaray expressed her appreciation to the Chief Justice, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice and current judges of the Court for sparing their time to grace the occasion.
The Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone was established by an agreement between the UN and the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) to carry on the continuing legal obligations of the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
Justice Sesay graduated from Fourah Bay College and was enrolled as a barrister and solicitor at the High Court in 1992. He is also a member of the Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Botswana.
Justice Sesay became a judge at the Sierra Leone Judiciary in 2007 when he was appointed as resident Judge in the Northern Province. He became a High Court Judge two years later in 2009.
He served as a co-counsel and case manager in the Special Court for Sierra Leone’s infamous trial in the case of the Prosecutor versus Sam Hinga Norman and others from 2004-2006. He also served as State Counsel attached to the Director of Public Prosecutor in the Office of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice.
In 2019 he became a Supreme Court Judge in the Judiciary of Sierra Leone.
Justice Barnett graduated with a Law Degree from Fourah Bay College in 2004 and later in 2016 a Masters of Law (LLM) degree in Women’s and Children’s right from Harvard Law School in the United States. She has been a Judge in the Sierra Leone Judiciary since 2006.
Copyright © Politico Online 01/12/21
