By Ornette Turay
Sierra Leone’s candidate vying to be among one of the judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Professor Charles Chernor Jalloh has called on Sierra Leoneans, including the media to support his candidacy.
He made this disclosure at the weekly press conference held on Tuesday 22 April, 2025 at the Conference Room of the Ministry of Information and Civic Education.
Prof. Jalloh maintained that it should be the priority of the government to lend support to Sierra Leoneans, who are vying for high profile international jobs.
Pro. Jalloh said one of the ICJ’s mandate is to resolve conflicts among countries who are entangled in border disputes.
He concluded: ‘’If I succeed getting that top job, it is Sierra Leone that wins,’’ Pro. Jalloh remarked.
In another development, the Executive Director of Legal Aid Board, Madam Fatmata Claire-Hanciles has informed journalists that since the establishment of Legal Aid Board ten years ago it has extended legal representation to hundreds of accused persons across the country.
Madam Claire-Hanciles said that LAB is operating in the sixteen (16) districts in Sierra Leone. She added that LAB works alongside with trained Paralegals, adding that they do not only undertake legal representation but also provide legal advise to their clients.
She disclosed that the World Bank was so impressed with their successes which encouraged the World Bank to publish a success story about their activities. She maintained that the institution do undertake intermittent visits to correction centres so as to get firsthand information on accused persons who are languishing in prison without being charged to court. She said from their intervention 2,345 both foreign nationals and Sierra Leoneans who have been remanded for a very long period were freed from the correctional centres.
The LAB Executive Director also disclosed that the institution will be organizing its National Access Awards event in December, 2025.
