9th October, 2013
Frank Kargbo, Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, is a frank, bold and impressive personality. He speaks with an air of authority. Witty and precise, Kargbo spoke to Abubakar Hashim on key topical issues on the country
The President recently launched the Constitutional Review Committee to address fundamental issues affecting the country. Are you hopeful for its success?
Absolutely. It is a process that had been long proposed. It was embedded in the Lome Peace Accord and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, TRC. There is a national consensus to update the constitution to catch up with development trends commensurate with international standards.
All political parties are represented, six each from the main parties, while the remaining parties have three each. The civil society, women groups, the disabled, paramount chiefs and other democratic institutions are well represented.
Ibrahim Balde, a UN-indicted war criminal, was recently expelled from the country. Why the expulsion order?
Balde is not indicted but the UN Resolution 1521 of 2003, prohibited his movement out of Senegal. He is forbidden to be resident in any other country. We became aware of his presence in June this year. We took steps to investigate his activities with Charles Taylor. We also sought information from the INTERPOL. He was in the Police cell for 21 days. And no information was forthcoming.
In view of the resolution and based on the police investigation, we cannot attain a successful prosecution of Balde. More so, we don’t have the manpower and finances to carry on such a prosecution.
We then notified the UN and other countries. Nobody came forward. We then decided to expel him to his native home of Senegal. As a government, we took the best interest of the country into consideration. We complied with UN resolution. He could still be prosecuted in Senegal.
What is the present state of the Sierra Leone Judiciary?
The present state is better than before the war. Our government and development partners have poured in a lot of resources in institution building. There have been lots of reforms. Lots of infrastructural facilities. We now have more functional courts and a fast-track commercial court. DFID, Nigeria and other development partners have assisted us greatly. We also enacted the Legal Aid Act to cater for the vulnerable to access justice. More so, the remuneration and logistic packages have improved.
How do you assess President Koroma’s six-year journey so far, particularly the transition from Agenda for Change to Agenda for Prosperity?
A resounding success. His passion and commitment are unparalleled. He has set up strict benchmarks. He had identified priority programmes since assumption, namely infrastructure, energy and economic stability. Monies into these sectors are mainly generated internally.
We have reviewed our legal framework, like the banking laws, trade laws, mining and intellectual laws, to fast-track business investments. We have also reviewed major mineral arrangements to bring them up to international standards.
The Agricultural sector has become commercialised and mechanised. We now boast of food self-sufficiency of 85 per cent. The President is the engine that drives this development. He chairs, every week, committees on energy, infrastructure, etc. We all sign performance contracts, which are reviewed every six months.
What is the present Judicial relationship between Sierra Leone and Nigeria?
Nigeria is very instrumental in the transformation of our Judiciary, both financially and logistically. We share much commonalities with the Nigerian Judiciary. We are also seeking support from Nigeria, through the embassy, for the Constitution Review Committee that was recently launched by the President.