ILRAJ Flags Constitutional Breaches in Presidential Probe of Law School
The Institute for Legal Research and Advocacy for Justice (ILRAJ) has issued a Legal Policy Brief raising serious constitutional and legal concerns over the Independent Investigation Committee set up by President Julius Maada Bio to investigate the Sierra Leone Law School.
According to the Brief, the committee lacks a clear legal basis, as no constitutional or statutory authority was cited in its establishment. ILRAJ notes that the Commissions of Inquiry Act (Cap. 54) was not invoked, and no constitutional instrument has been gazetted to legitimise the exercise.
The organisation further emphasised that the Sierra Leone Law School operates under the Council of Legal Education Act, 1989 and is governed by an independent Council chaired by the Chief Justice. As such, ILRAJ argues that the institution does not fall under direct executive control, raising separation of powers concerns under the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone.
ILRAJ also expressed concern over reports that the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) investigation into the matter had been suspended, warning that such action undermines the Commission’s statutory independence as guaranteed under the Anti-Corruption Act, 2008, which prohibits external direction or control.
The Brief further highlighted potential conflict-of-interest issues involving the committee’s chair, Priscilla Schwartz, citing her prior involvement in Law School matters during her tenure as Attorney-General in 2019. It also noted that the Law School Council had already initiated corrective measures before the committee was formed.
Referencing the case of Pamela Davies, who was dismissed in 2022 but later vindicated by a High Court ruling in June 2024, ILRAJ argued that the situation reflects deeper structural and governance challenges requiring comprehensive reform rather than ad hoc executive intervention.
In its recommendations, ILRAJ called for the reconstitution of the committee under proper legal authority, the immediate reinstatement of the ACC investigation, and a review of the Council of Legal Education Act. It also proposed a controlled liberalisation of legal education, drawing on models from countries such as Ghana and Kenya, alongside statutory protections for Law School staff and constitutional safeguards to further strengthen the ACC.
ILRAJ concluded by reaffirming the primacy of the rule of law, cautioning that resolving institutional challenges must be grounded in stronger legal frameworks—not the substitution of one unchecked authority for another.
