News

By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay 
The Justice Biobele Goergewill Commission of Inquiry has issued a notice to former president Ernest Bai Koroma to be part of the hearings tomorrow, Thursday. 
The invitation comes amidst preparations to open an inquiry into Sierra Leone's Petroleum Directorate. He is not under obligation to appear. 
According to a letter from the Commission’s Secretariat, the notice is to inform Koroma of the testimonies that will be taken which may likely affect him. 

By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay

The controversy over the sale of a certain 30% of government shares in Sierra Rutile Ltd took a fresh twist on Monday when defence lawyer, Ady Macauley presented a document that was written by Illuka Resources, denying the reported sale.

Catholic Bishops of Sierra Leone say corruption has “eaten deep into the fabric of our society” and promoted “a culture of unconcern and impunity”.

In a wide-ranging Pastoral Letter to mark the end of the Easter Season of the church’s liturgical calendar, the four bishops from Freetown, Bo, Makeni and Kenema say “those who have robbed society should be brought to book”.

By Mohamed T. Massaquoi

Five school pupils from the Holy Rosary Secondary School in Pujehun have been arrested for smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol during school hours.

The girls were busted in a bush around their school in Pujehun town, and in their possession were an assortment of illegal items that also included palm wine and tramadol as well as cooked foo-foo, according to sources.

The incident sparked outrage over the uncontrollable use of drugs, alcohol and marijuana in the district.

By Hajaratu Kalokoh

Stakeholders in the fishing sector have concluded an engagement conference in Freetown focusing on the challenges, effects and possible solutions of illegal fishing in the country.

The conference was an initiative by the Movement Against Inequality in Sierra Leone (MAISL) and it was supported by OXFAM. MAISL is a movement that involves about forty CSOs working to end inequality in the country.

By Kemo Cham

Sierra Leone has made history with the completion of a nationwide roll out of an electronic health surveillance system, making it the first African country to do so.

The Electronic Disease Surveillance and Response (e-DSR) system has transformed data collection from paper-based to digital devises, which health authorities say will eliminate a perennial problem of delay in reporting and improve data accuracy and efficiency.

By Umaru Fofana

The Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone (HRCSL) say they have found “high numbers of non-indicted trial inmates” in some of the country’s prisons.

In a meeting with the Chief Justice, Desmond Babatunde Edwards and the Director of Public Prosecutions, Easmon Ngakui, the human rights commissioners cited one inmate, Dauda Kaiwo, who has spent over 11years at the Kenema Correctional Centre without indictment.