Sierra Leone’s judiciary is one of the most corrupt and dangerous institutions in the country today. Magistrates and judges are making decisions that adversely impact not only the victims of cases but the society at large.
A case in point is one that we discussed in a previous posting. In that case, two thugs in their mid-thirties ganged up on their elderly disabled cousin in his mid-60s. The two thugs beat the poor man mercilessly and stripped him naked. The victim took his case to the police and to the magistrate court in Bo before Magistrate Lloyd Jusu.
After their merciless assault on the victim, one of the perpetrators, Dauda Mansaary, sent audio messages to a key witness, threatening to deal with him with “deadly force” if he crossed the line. In other words, if the witness shows up in court. The Magistrate has heard these messages, which are additional crimes.
The perpetrator also said in his audio that it only takes a phone call to the judiciary for the case to be ruled in their favor.
According to Dauda Mansaray (a.k.a. Daudil or Alhaji), as far as the current government of President Maada Bio is concerned, “we have a say.”
The “we” in this case is the fact that the two thugs attended the Bo Government Secondary School (Bo School), the same school that President Bio and most of the people he has appointed attended. Even though the two thugs are dropouts, people describe them as boys who have the “badge.” And this badge gives them the freedom to assault anyone because there will be no consequences as long as Maada Bio is in power.
Indeed, this case has proven this young thug right. The Bo School badge plus being a recruited thug for the politicians has become a high-powered position for the semiliterate youth of Sierra Leone today.
Magistrate Lloyd Jusu of Bo Magistrate court did indeed receive that phone call on behalf of the two Bo School thugs who assaulted their elderly disabled cousin. Magistrate Jusu has heard testimonies from the victim and all the key witnesses and has adjourned the case several times.
Adjournment is a tactic used by judges in Sierra Leone for cases to die out of their courtrooms without ruling, especially cases in which the magistrates and judges intend to rule unfairly. It is much easier for such cases to die by adjournment. The more the case is adjourned, the more likely that the victim or witnesses will not show up for the next hearing, which would give the magistrate or judge grounds for dismissing the case without a verdict.
That is exactly what has happened in this case. However, the victim, in this case, has appeared in court every time and has insisted on receiving justice from the court.
Well, on June 10, 2022, Magistrate Lloyd Jusu of Bo Magistrate Court showed visible anger toward the victim for showing up for the scheduled hearing, after five or six adjournments.
Magistrate Jusu snapped at the victim expressing surprise that the victim was actually in court again. He told the victim that he thought the victim and the perpetrators would have settled the case already as a family matter.
It makes one wonder why Sierra Leone even has laws, courts, and judges? Is it the magistrate’s role to send victims to families for rulings or to rule on cases based on law?
Magistrate Lloyd Jusu categorically told the victim that he was wasting his time showing up in his court again and again because he will not get the so-called justice that he thinks he will get from his court. He said that his magistrate court does not issue verdicts for assault cases and that because the victim was assaulted and battered by his cousins, that makes this assault case a family matter, not for the magistrate court.
This is clearly double victimization of a citizen by a magistrate whose monthly salary can pay the salaries of several teachers in Sierra Leone today.
I guess now we know why domestic violence cases in Sierra Leone die away, even those in which women lose limbs and lives; leaving the perpetrators free to victimize more people in their families and communities.
The fact is that Lloyd Jusu is not only a Bo School graduate, he is also a party stalwart of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party and the two thugs are SLPP thugs recruited from the Bo School alumni association.
Therefore, the phone call that one of the thugs bragged about was received by Lloyd Jusu; and that phone, which people in Sierra Leone refer to as “orders from above” on behalf of the two thugs Kansu and Dauda Mansaray trumped the laws of Sierra Leone.
For a magistrate to tell an assault victim that going to court was a waste of everybody’s time poses a great danger to the citizens of Sierra Leone as well as all foreigners who visit as tourists or investors.
So, be warned and stay woke, thugs have badges in Sierra Leone to assault and batter!!
MAMA SALONE ~ Lioness of the West Coast 