By Jane B. Mansaray

Sierra Leone Appeal Court Judges have rendered the decision of Justice Biobelle Georgewill, Sole Commissioner of the Commission of Inquiry (COI invalid and therefore set aside his findings and recommendations against former Minister of Local Government and Minister of Lands.

The majority judgment was read yesterday by Justice Komba Kamanda, presided by Justice Fatmata Bintu Alhadi and Tonia Barnett.

The decision of the Sole Commissioner was vacated and declared invalid for failing to act beyond his terms of reference by sentencing the appellant, Finda Diana Konomanyi guilty at the COI hearing.

Grounds 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 and 9 of appellant appeal are allowed and the conviction and confiscation of appellant property at Adonkia is set aside.

The grounds of appeal, according to the appellant Counsel Ibrahim Sorie is that the Sole Commissioner misdirected himself, and failed to adequately adduce evidence, and that he demonstrated considerable biasness against the appellant.

He relied on Section 150 of 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone. “The COI is not a court of law and does not have the right to hear criminal matters”, he said. Justice Komba Kamanda agreed with appellant counsel Ibrahim Sorie.

Justice Komba Kamanda condemned the valuation of the appellant property on the grounds that it does not provide any professionalism, and described the valuation method as over simplistic.

Credit: Global Times