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The Law s of Sierra Leon e on the Sier ra Leone Web
Th e C onstitu tion of Sierra Leo ne, 1 991

THE CONSTITUTION OF SIERRA LEONE, 1991
(Act No. 6 of 1991)
ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS

CHAPTER I — THE REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE
1. Declaration of Republic
2. Public Seal
3. The National Flag and National Anthem
CHAPTER II — FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF STATE POLICY
4. Fundamental Obligations of Government
5. Government and the People
6. Political Objectives
7. Economic Objectives
8. Social Objectives
9. Educational Objectives
10. Foreign Policy Objectives
11. Obligations of the Mass Media
12. Enhancement of National Culture
13. Duties of the Citizen
14. Fundamental Principles not Justiciable
CHAPTER III — THE RECOGNITION AND PROTECTION OF FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS
AND FREEDOMS OF THE INDIVIDUAL
15. Fundamental Human Rights and Freedoms of the Individual
16. Protection of Right to Life
17. Protection From Arbitrary Arrest or Detention
18. Protection of Freedom of Movement
19. Protection From Slavery and Forced Labour
20. Protection From Inhuman Treatment
21. Protection From Deprivation of Property
22. Protection for Privacy of Home and Other Property
23. Provision to Secure Protection of Law
24. Protection of Freedom of Conscience
25. Protection of Freedom of Expression and the Press
26. Protection of Freedom of Assembly and Association
27. Protection From Discrimination
28. Enforcement of Protective Provisions
29. Public Emergency
30. Interpretation of Chapter III
CHAPTER IV — THE REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE
31. Registration of Voters
32. Electoral Commission

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33 . Fu nct ions of t he El ect oral Commissi on
34 . Po litical Parties Reg istration Co mmissio n
35 . Reg istratio n and Condu ct of Po litical Parties
36 . Secret Ballot
37 . Refere nd um
38 . Co nstitu encies an d Electio ns
39 . Fillin g of Vacan cies
CHAPT ER V — THE EXECUTIVE
PART I — T HE PRES IDENT
40 . Office of t he Preside nt
41 . Qu alification s for Office of Presid ent
42 . Electio n of Presid ent
43 . Period Du ring Wh ich Presid ential Electio ns Sh all Tak e Place
44 . Parliam ent to Mak e Laws for Electio n of Presid ent
45 . Presid ential Retu rning Officer
46 . Tenure of Office of Preside nt, etc.
47 . Presid ent in Parlia ment
48 . Inci dents of Office, etc.
49 . Vacancy i n Office of Preside nt
50 . Mental or Phys ical Inca pacity
51 . Miscon duct by Presi dent
52 . Tem porary Filling of Vacancy
PART II — EXECU TIVE P OWERS
53 . Exercise of E xecutive Aut hority in Sierra Le one
54 . Vice-Preside nt
55 . Vacancy i n Office of Vice President
56 . Ministers an d Dep uty M inisters of Government
57 . Oat hs to be Ta ken by M inisters, et c.
58 . Ministerial Va cancies
59 . Est ablishm ent of Cabinet
60 . Co llectiv e Resp on sibility
61 . Co nstitu tion of Offices
62 . Administr atio n of Min istr ies
63 . Prerogative of Mercy
64 . Estab lish ment o f th e Office of Att orney-General and Minist er of Justice
65 . So licito r-Gen eral
66 . Di rect or of Public Pr osec utions
67 . Secretary to the Presi dent
68 . Secretary to the Cabinet
69 . Secretary to the Vice-Presi dent
70 . Pow er of Appoin tment Vested in th e Pr esid ent
71 . Ot her St atutory Ap pointments
72 . Of fice o f Para mount Chief
CHAPT ER VI — T HE LE GISLAT URE
PART I — CO MPOS ITI ON OF PARL IAM ENT
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73 . Estab lish ment o f Parliam ent
74 . Memb ers of Parliame nt
75 . Qu alification s for Mem bers of Parlia ment
76 . Disqu alification s for Mem bers of Parliam ent
77 . Tenu re of Seat s of Mem bers of Par liam ent
78 . Determ inatio n of Qu estion as to Mem bersh ip of Parlia ment
79 . The Spea ker
80 . Deputy Speake r
81 . Election of Speaker and De puty Spea ker
82 . Clerk of Parl iament
83 . Oat h to be Ta ken by M embers o f Pa rliament
PART II — SU MMONI NG, P RORO GAT ION AN D DI SS OLU TION
84 . Sessions of Parlia ment
85 . Life o f Parliam ent
86 . Sittin gs of Parl iament
87 . Gene ral El ect ion
PART III — P ROCED URE IN PARLI AMENT
88 . Presid ing in Parlia ment
89 . Qu orum in Par liament
90 . Use of En glish in Parliam ent
91 . Vo ting in Parlia ment
92 . Unqu alified Person s Sittin g and Vo ting
93 . Co mmit tees in Parliam ent
94 . Regul ation of Pro ced ure s in Parl iament
95 . Cont em pt of Parliament
96 . Crim inal Proce edings
PART IV — R ESPO NS IBIL ITIES , PR IV ILEGES AND IMMUNI TIE S
97 . Resp on sibilitie s of Mem bers of Parliam ent
98 . Free dom of Speech a nd De bate
99 . Parliam entary Priv ileg es
10 0. Im muni ty From Servi ce of Proces s a nd Arrest
10 1. Im muni ty From W itness S ummons
10 2. Im munity From Serving as J uryman
10 3. Imm unity for Publica tion of Proceedi ngs
10 4. Priv ileg es of Witness
PART V — E XERCIS E OF LEGISL ATIVE POWER
10 5. Po wer t o M ake Laws
10 6. Mode of Exerc ising Le gislative P ower
10 7. Min ister May In tro duce Bill an d b e Su mm oned to Parlia ment
10 8. Alteratio n of C onstitu tion
10 9. Resid ual Au thority of Parliamen t
PART VI — FINA NCE
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11 0. Au thorisatio n fo r Im positio n of Tax ation
11 1. Cons olidated Fund
11 2. Aut horisation of Ex pendi ture from Cons olidated F und
11 3. Au thorisatio n o f Exp enditure in Adv ance o f Ap propriatio n
11 4. Withdraw als of Mon eys for General Rev enu es
11 5. Remunerat ion of the Presi dent and Certain Other Officers
11 6. Cont ingenci es Fu nd
11 7. Pub lic Deb t
11 8. Loa ns
11 9. Estab lish ment o f th e Office of Aud ito r-Gen eral
CHAPT ER VII — T HE JU DI CIARY
PART I — TH E SU PERI OR COURT OF JUDICAT URE
12 0. Estab lish ment o f th e Jud iciary
PART II — T HE SUPREME COURT
12 1. Co mpositio n of th e Su prem e Co urt
12 2. Jurisd ictio n of the Su prem e C ourt
12 3. Appeals t o the Suprem e Court
12 4. Interpretatio n of th e C onstitu tio n
12 5. Sup ervisory Jurisd ictio n
12 6. Power of Ju stices of th e Su pre me Co urt in Interlo cutory M atters
12 7. En forcem ent o f th e Con stitu tio n
PART III — THE C OURT OF APPE AL
12 8. Composi tion o f the Court of Ap peal
12 9. Jurisd ictio n of th e Cou rt of Ap peal
13 0. Power of Si ngl e Justice of Appeal
PART IV — T HE HI GH CO URT
13 1. Composi tion of the Hi gh Court
13 2. Jurisd ictio n of the Hi gh Cou rt
13 3. Claim s Agains t the Government
13 4. Sup ervisor y Jur isdictio n of the H igh Court
PART V — AP POINTME NT OF J UDGES, ETC.
13 5. Appo intm ent o f Judges, etc.
13 6. Judicial Vacancies
13 7. Tenu re of Office of Ju dg es, etc.
13 8. Remunerat ion of Judges, et c.
13 9. Oath of Office o f Judg es
PART VI — J UDICI AL AND LEG AL SERV ICE COM MISSIO N
14 0. Establishm ent of the J udicial and Le gal Service Commission
14 1. Appointm ent of J udicial and Legal Se rvice Officers, etc.
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14 2. Appo intm ent o f Court Officers
14 3. Fees of Court, etc.
14 4. Official Doc ument
14 5. Ru les of Court Co mmit tee
CHAPT ER VII I — OM BUDSMAN
14 6. Parl iament to Est ablish Of fice of Om budsm an
CHAPT ER IX — COM MISS IO NS OF INQUIRY
14 7. Ap pointment of C ommissi ons o f Inqui ry
14 8. Powers, Righ ts and Priv ileg es of Co mm issio ns of In qu iry
14 9. Rep ort of Inquir y
15 0. Ru les Regu latin g Co mm issio ns of In qu iry
CHAPT ER X — THE PUBLIC SERVICE
15 1. Estab lish ment o f th e Pub lic Serv ice C ommis sion
15 2. Appo intm ents, etc. of Pub lic Officers
15 3. Appo intm ent o f th e Pri ncip al Re presen tativ es of Sierra Leon e
15 4. Appo intm ent o f Perm anent Se cretaries a nd C ertain Other Officers
PART II — THE POLICE FORCE
15 5. Estab lish ment o f th e Sierra Leo ne Po lice Force
15 6. Estab lish ment o f Po lice C ouncil
15 7. Appo intm ents in th e Po lice Fo rce
15 8. Fun ctio ns of the Po lice C oun cil
PART III — RESIG NATIONS, RE- APPOIN TMENTS AN D PROTECTI ON OF PEN SION RIGH TS OF
PUBLIC OFFICERS HOLDIN G EST ABL ISHE D OFF ICES
15 9. Resignat ion a nd E ffect of Ne w Ap pointment of a Perso n Ho lding Estab lish ed Office
16 0. Re-ap poi ntment, et c.
16 1. Prot ect ion of Pensi on R ights
PART IV — P OWER A ND PROCED URE S OF COM MISSI ON S AN D COU NCIL S, AN D L EGAL
PROCEE DI NGS
16 2. Power of C ommissio ns in Relatio n to the Gran t of Pen sions
16 3. Power and Procedur e of Commissi ons
16 4. Prot ect ion of Commissi ons F rom Legal Pr oceedi ngs
CHAPT ER XI — T HE ARM ED F ORCES
16 5. Estab lish ment o f th e Arm ed Fo rces
16 6. Pro hibition of Pri vate Arm ed For ces
16 7. Est ablishm ent of De fence Counci l
16 8. Appo intm ents in th e Arm ed Fo rces
16 9. Fu nct ions of t he De fence Council
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CHAPT ER XII — T HE L AWS OF S IERRA LEONE
17 0. The La ws of Si erra Leone
CHAPT ER XII I — M ISCE LLANE OUS
17 1. Interpretatio n
17 2. Legi slation
17 3. Co nsequ ential Prov ision s
CHAPT ER XIV — TRA NSITION AL PRO VISIO NS
17 4. Ex istin g Con stitu tio n — Act No. 12 of 19 78.
17 5. Effect of Tran sitio nal Prov ision s
17 6. Ex istin g Law
17 7. App licatio n of Ex istin g Law
17 8. Preserv ation of Ex isting Offices
17 9. Ex istin g Parliamen t
18 0. Del egat ed Powers a nd Inqui ries
18 1. Co ntinu ation of Matters
18 2. Legal Proce edings
18 3. Appeals
18 4. Jurisd ictio n of Co urts
18 5. Finance
18 6. Fin ancial Au thorisation
18 7. Official Seals, etc.
18 8. Co ntinu ation of th e Po lice Force
18 9. Co ntinu ation of th e Military Fo rces
19 0. Rep eal of Act N o. 12 of 19 78 and Sav ing s
19 1. Rep rint
19 2. Commencem ent
FIRST SCHE DUL E
SECOND SC HEDUL E
THIR D SC HE DUL E
FOURTH SC HEDUL E
SIG NED this 24th day of Se ptem ber, 1991
J. S. MOM OH
Presid ent

CONS TIT UTION OF S IERR A LE ONE AM ENDME NT ACT, 2001
Elect ion by Di strict Block R eprese ntation System .
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The Cons titution of Sierra Leone, 1991
Bein g an Act t o m ake prov isio n fo r a new C onstitu tion of
Sier ra Leo ne, and fo r conn ected pur po ses [1 O ctob er, 19 91] BE IT ENAC TED by th e Presi dent and Mem bers of Parliam ent in this presen t Parlia ment assem bled , as
follows:—

CHAPT ER I — THE RE PUBL IC OF S IERR A LE ONE Decl aration of Rep ublic. 1. Sierra Le one is a S overei gn Republ ic, the bo unda ries of wh ich are d elimited in the First Sch edu le h ereto .
Pub lic seal. 2. Th e Pu blic Seal of th e Repu blic sh all b e su ch a device as Parliam ent shall presc ribe.
The Nationa l Fla g and Nationa l Anthe m. 3. (1 )
a. The Flag of which t he desi gn is desc ribed i n para gra ph (b) here of is here by decl are d to be the Nat ional Flag
of Si erra Le on e.
b. Th e design of t he Flag sh all be fro m th e top of th e Flag t o the bottom thereof, th ree ho rizont al stripes of
gree n, white an d blue.
c. Th e no rmal siz e of th e Flag for official u se sh all b e in the propo rtion of nine units acr oss to six un its dow n.
(2) Th e National An them of the Rep ublic shall b e su ch as Parliam ent sh all p rescrib e.
CHAPT ER II – FUNDAME NTAL PRINCIP LES OF STAT E POLIC Y Fundamental obligations of Gove rnm ent.
4. All org ans of Gov ernment an d all au thorities and person s ex ercisin g leg islativ e, ex ecu tiv e or jud icial po wers sh all
confo rm to , obser ve and app ly th e pro visions of th is Ch apter .
Gove rnm ent a nd the people . 5. (1) The Republic of Sierra Leone s hall be a State base d on the princi ples of Free dom , Dem ocracy and J ustice.
(2) It is accordingly declare d that—
a. sovereign ty b elong s to the peop le of Sierra Leo ne fro m whom Go vernment th rou gh this C onstitu tion deriv es
all its p owers, autho rity and legitimacy;
b. the sec urity, peace and welfa re of the pe ople of Sierra Le one shall be the prim ary purpose and responsibi lity
of Go vern ment, and to th is end it sh all b e the du ty of th e Armed Forces, the Po lice, Publi c Officers and all
security age nts to protect and safegu ard the people of Sierra Leone; and
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c. the p articip ation of th e people in th e gov ern ance of th e State sh all be en sured in acco rdance with th e
prov isio ns of this Con stitu tion .

Political objectives. 6. (1) Th e m otto of th e Rep ublic o f Sierra Leo ne sh all b e Un ity, Freedo m and Ju stice.
(2) Acco rdingly, the St ate s hall pr om ote nat ional integration a nd unity an d disco urage discri minat ion on the grou nds
of place of origin, circ um stance of birth, se x, religion, stat us, ethnic or linguistic association or ties.
(3) Fo r th e pu rposes of pro motin g n ation al integratio n and unity, th e State sh all—
a. prov ide ad equate facilities fo r and en cou rage free m obility of peop le, go od s and serv ices th rou gho ut Sierra
Leone; and
b. secure full rig hts of resi dence for e very citizen in all pa rts of the State.
(4) T he State shall protect a nd defe nd the liberty of t he individual , en force the rul e of law a nd ensure t he e fficient
funct ioning of Go vernm ent servi ces.
(5) T he State shall take all ste ps to era dicate all corrupt prac tices an d the a bus e of powe r.
Econom ic obje ctive s. 7. (1) Th e State sh all with in the co ntext of t he id eals and ob jectives for wh ich prov ision s are m ade in this
Co nstitu tion —
a. harness all th e natural resou rces of th e n ation to promote nat ional prosperi ty and an ef ficient , dy nam ic and
self-reliant eco nom y;
b. manage a nd control the nat ional econ omy in suc h a m anner as t o sec ure t he m axim um welfare a nd free dom
of ev ery citizen on th e basis of so cial justice and eq uality of opp ortun ity;
c. protect th e right o f an y citizen to en gage in an y econo mic a ctiv ity with ou t preju dice t o the righ ts of an y
other pers on to pa rticipate in areas of the ec on om y;
d. place prope r a nd ade quate e mphasis on agriculture i n all its aspects so as to ensure self-s ufficiency in food
product ion; and
e. ens ure t hat Gover nment shal l alway s give priority an d e ncoura gem ent to Sierra Leon eans to particip ate i n
all sphe res of the ec on om y in fu rtherance of these ob ject ives.
Social objectives. 8. (1) Th e So cial Ord er of t he State sh all b e fo und ed on the ideals of Freedo m, Eq uality an d Justice.
(2) In furthera nce of the Soci al Or der —
a. every citizen shall h ave equ ality o f rights, ob lig atio ns, and oppo rtunities before th e law, and th e State sh all
ensure t hat eve ry citizen ha s a n equal right a nd acce ss t o all opportunities and be nefits ba sed on m erit;
b. the State sh all recogn ise, m aintain an d enh ance th e san ctity o f th e hu man person and human dign ity; an d
c. the Gov ernment sh all secure and m aintain th e ind epend ence, im partiali ty and in teg rity of co urts of law and
unfettered acce ss the reto, and to this e nd s hall ens ure t hat the operation of t he lega l system prom otes justice
on th e basis of equal op portunity, an d that opportun ities fo r secu ring ju stice are no t d enied an y citizen by
reason of eco nomic o r other disab ility.
(3) T he State shall direct its po licy to wards en sur ing that—
a. every citizen , with ou t discr imin atio n on any g rou nd s wh atso ever, shall hav e th e opp ortunity fo r secu ring
adequ ate m ean s of liv eliho od as well as ad equ ate opp ortun ities to secu re suitab le em ployment;
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b. cond itio ns o f serv ice and work are fai r, ju st an d hu mane and th at t here are ad equate facilities for leisure and
for so cial, reli gio us and cu ltu ral life;
c. the heal th, sa fety and wel fare of all per sons in em ploym ent are sa feg uarded a nd not enda nge red or a bused,
and in pa rticular that speci al pr ovisions be m ade for w orking w omen wi th children, having d ue rega rd to the
resources of the State;
d. there are ad equate medical and health faciliti es fo r all p erson s, having du e reg ard to the reso urces of th e
State;
e. there is e qual pay for e qual work without dis crimi nation on account of sex, and that a dequate and
sat isfact ory remunerat ion i s pai d to all pers ons in em ploy ment; and
f. the care and welfare of the a ged, y oung a nd disabl ed shall be act ively promoted and safe gua rded.
Educational objectives. 9. (1) Th e Govern ment sh all direct its po licy to ward s ensuri ng that t here are e qual right s and a dequate educational
oppo rtunities fo r all citizen s at all lev els b y—
a. ensuring that ev ery citizen is given th e opp ortun ity to be edu cated to the best o f his ab ility, ap titu de an d
inclin atio n b y prov iding edu catio nal facilities at all lev els an d asp ects of ed ucation su ch as prim ary,
seco nda ry, voc ational , techni cal, col lege an d uni versi ty;
b. safeg uarding the rights of vulnera ble grou ps, su ch as c hildren, women and the disabl ed in secu rity
education al facilit ies; and
c. prov iding the necessary stru ctures, fin ance an d supp ortiv e facilities fo r edu catio n as and wh en practicable.
(2) Th e Go vernment sh all striv e to erad icate illiteracy, an d to th is end , sh all d irect its educatio nal policy to ward s
achieving—
a. free adu lt literacy p rog ramm es;
b. free c ompul sory basi c e ducat ion at primary and junior sec onda ry sc ho ol level s; an d
c. free seni or sec onda ry educatio n as a nd whe n practicable.
(3) T he Gove rnment shal l prom ote the lear ning of indigenous languages and the study and ap plicat ion of m odern
scien ce, foreign langu ages, tech nology , commerce an d busi ness.
Foreign policy objectives. 10 . Th e Foreign Po licy Ob jectiv es of th e State Sh all b e—
a. the pro motio n and pro tectio n of th e Nation al in terest;
b. the p rom otion of su b-regional, re gional and inter-African co -operat ion a nd uni ty;
c. the prom otion of international co-o peration for the c onsolidation of in terna tional pe ace a nd sec urity and
mutual resp ect among all n ations; and resp ect for th eir territo rial in tegrity an d ind epend ence; and
d. resp ect for intern ation al law an d treaty ob ligatio ns, as well as th e seek ing of settle ment of in tern ation al
dispu tes by negotiatio n, con ciliatio n, arb itratio n or adju dicatio n.
Obligations of the mas s med ia. 11 . T he pre ss, radi o a nd television a nd other age ncies of t he m ass media shal l at all times be free to uphold the
fund am ental o bjectives co ntain ed in th is Con stitu tio n an d high lig ht the resp on sibility an d acco untability o f th e
Go vernm ent to the peo ple.
Enha ncement of national culture. 12 . The Gove rnment shal l—
a. prom ote Sierra Leonea n c ulture s uch as m usic, art, da nce, science, phi losophy , ed ucat ion and traditional
med icin e wh ich is co mpatib le with nation al development;
b. recogn ize trad itio nal Sierra Leo nean institu tions co mpatib le with nation al development;
c. protect an d e nhance the cul tures of Si erra L eone; and
d. facilitate th e p rovision of funds fo r the development of cu ltu re in Sierra Leo ne.
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Dutie s of t he citizen. 13 . Ev ery citizen sh all—
a. abide by th is Co nstitu tion , resp ect its id eals an d its in stitu tion s, the Nation al Flag , the Natio nal An them an d
autho rities an d offices estab lish ed or con stitu ted un der this Con stitu tio n or an y o ther law;
b. cultiv ate a sen se of natio nalism an d patriotism so th at lo yalty to th e State shall ov errid e sectio nal, et hnic
trib al or other loyalties;
c. protect an d preserve public prope rty an d pre vent the m isappr opriation and sq uande ring of funds belongi ng
to th e Go vernmen t, lo cal au thorities or public co rpo ration s;
d. hel p enhanc e the po we r, pre stige an d good name of t he St ate an d t o de fend the St ate a nd r ende r nat ional
serv ice as m ay be requ ired ;
e. respect the dignity and rel igion of ot her i ndi viduals, a nd t he ri ghts and interest s of others;
f. mak e po sitiv e and usefu l con tribu tio ns to the adv ancem ent, prog ress, an d well-b eing of t he co mm unity,
wherever he resides;
g. wo rk consci entiousl y in a l awful and c hose n occu pation and ab stain fro m an y activ ity d etrimental to th e
gene ral wel fare of ot her s;
h. ens ure t he proper co ntrol an d upbringing of his c hildren a nd war ds;
i. particip ate in an d d efen d all de mocratic proc esses a nd practices; and
j. render assistance to a ppropria te and lawful a gencies in t he maintenance of law a nd order.
Fundamental principles not j usticable. 14 . Not withstandi ng the provisions of Sect ion 4, t he provisions co ntain ed in th is Ch apter shall no t co nfer leg al righ ts
and s hall not be enforceable in a ny court of l aw, but the principles c ontained the rein shall ne vert heless be
fund am ental in th e governance of th e State, and it sh all be the duty of Parl iament to app ly th ese principles in m aking
laws.
CHAPT ER III – THE REC OGNITIO N A ND PROTECT ION OF FU NDAMENTA L HU MAN RIGHTS AND
FREED OM S OF T HE INDIVI DU AL Fundamental human rights a nd fre edom s of the ind ividua l.
15 . Wh ereas ev ery person in Sierra Leon e is en titled to th e fund am ental h uman righ ts and freed oms o f th e ind ividual,
that is to say, has the right, whateve r his rac e, tribe , place of origi n, political opi nion, col our, cree d or sex, but subj ect
to res pect for the rig hts an d freedom s of ot hers a nd for the pu blic in terest, t o each an d all of th e following —
a. life, lib erty, secu rity of person , the en joym ent of prop erty, an d the pr otect ion of law ;
b. free dom of co nscience, of ex pressi on and of assem bly and a ssoci ation;
c. respect for private and fam ily life, and
d. protectio n from deprivation of prop erty with ou t co mpensatio n;
the s ubse quent provisions of this Chapter sh all have effect for the purpose of af fording protect ion t o the afo resai d
rights an d free dom s, su bject to such limitations of that protect ion as are cont ained i n those p rovisions, bei ng
limitations desi gne d t o ensure that the e njoy ment of the s aid rights an d fre edom s by any indi vidual does not prejudice
the ri ght s a nd freed om s of others, or the public interest .
Pro tection o f right to life . 16 . (1) No perso n shall be depriv ed of his life inten tion ally except i n execution of the sent ence of a c ourt i n respect of
a cri minal offe nce un der the laws of Si erra L eone , of which he has bee n convi cted.
(2) Withou t prejud ice t o an y liab ility fo r a con trav ention of any o ther law with resp ect t o the use of force in su ch
cases as a re herei naft er m entione d, a pers on shal l not be r egarde d as ha ving been de prived of hi s life in cont rave ntion
of th is section if he dies as a resu lt of th e us e of for ce to s uch ex tent as is reasonably justi fiable in the ci rcum stances
of th e case, that is to say—
a. for the de fence of any pe rson from unl aw ful violence or for the de fence of propert y; or
b. in o rder t o effe ct a lawf ul a rre st or to preve nt th e escap e of a p erson lawfully d etain ed; or
c. for th e pur po se of su pp ressing a r iot, in sur rectio n or m utin y; or
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d. in order t o pre vent the c ommissi on by that per son of a cr imin al of fence; or
e. if he dies a s a result of a la wful act of war.
Pro tection f rom arbitrary ar rest or detentio n.
17 . (1 ) No person shall be de prived of hi s per son al libert y excep t as m ay b e au thorised by law in an y of t he following
cases, that is to say —
a. in co nse quence of his u nfitness to plead to a criminal charge; or
b. in the e xecution of a se ntence or order of a C ourt whet her i n Sierra Le one or elsewhe re in respect of a
cri minal offenc e of whi ch he has bee n convicted; or
c. in the e xecution of an order of the Hi gh Court or the Court of Appeal or the Su prem e C ourt or such ot her
cou rt as m ay be p rescri bed by Parl iament on the g rou nds of his c ont em pt of any suc h court or of anot her
court or tribu nal o r co mm issi on of inqu iry as th e case m ay be; or
d. in the e xecution of an Order of a c ourt m ade in order t o sec ure the ful filment of any obl igation imposed on
him by law; or
e. for th e pur po se of bring ing him before a cour t or tribun al, as th e case m ay be, in ex ecu tion of th e order of a
court; or
f. up on reaso nable sus picion of his havi ng com mitted o r of be ing a bout to commit a crim inal of fence; or
g. in th e case of a p erson wh o h as no t attain ed th e ag e of twenty-one y ears , for the purpose of his ed ucat ion or
welfare; or
h. for the purpose of pre vent ing t he s prea d of an infect ious or cont agious disease; or
i. in th e case of a p erson wh o is, or is reason ably su spected to be, of unsou nd min d, add icted to dru gs or
alcoh ol, or a v agra nt, fo r the pu rpose of hi s care or treat ment or the pr otection of the communi ty; or
j. for the purpose of pre vent ing t he unl awful entry of that pers on into Si erra Leo ne, or for the pu rpose of
effect ing t he e xpulsion, ext radition or other lawf ul rem oval of that per son from Si erra Le one or the taking of
procee dings thereto.
(2) Any p erson wh o—
a. is arrested or detain ed sh all be in form ed in writing or in a lan guage th at he un derstand s at th e tim e o f his
arrest , an d i n any eve nt not later than twenty-fou r hours, of the fact s a nd grou nds for his a rrest or det ention;
b. is arreste d or detained s hall be inform ed immediately at the tim e of his arrest of his right of access to a legal
practitio ner or any p erso n of his ch oice, and sh all be perm itted at h is own expense to instru ct witho ut delay
a leg al practitio ner of his own ch oice and to co mm unicate with him co nfidentially.
(3) Any perso n who is ar rest ed or det ained in such a case as is m entioned in pa ragra ph (e ) or (f) of su bsect ion (1) a nd
wh o i s not rel eased s hall be brought bef ore a co urt of law—
a. with in ten days fro m th e d ate of ar rest in cases of cap ital o ffen ces, offence s car rying life impri sonm ent and
econ omic and envi ronm ent al of fence s; an d
b. wi thin seve nty-two ho urs of h is arrest in case of ot her offe nces;
and if a ny pers on arrested or detained in suc h a ca se as is men tio ned in th e sai d parag raph (f) is no t tri ed with in the
peri ods speci fied i n pa ragra ph (a) or (b) of t his sect ion, a s the case m ay be, t hen wi thout pre judi ce t o any fu rther
proceed ing s wh ich m ay b e brough t ag ainst him he sh all be released eit her uncon dition ally o r upo n reaso nable
conditions, i ncluding i n partic ular, suc h conditions as a re reasonably necessary to e nsure that he appea rs at a later
date fo r trial or pro ceed ing s preli minary to trial.
(4) An y person wh o is un lawfu lly arrested or detain ed by any o ther person shall b e en titled to co mpensat ion therefor
from that ot her pe rso n.
Protection of freed om of movem ent. 18 . (1) No pe rson sh all be deprived of his fre edom of m ovem ent, an d for the pu rpose of this sect ion t he sai d freedom
mean s th e right to m ove freel y th rough ou t Sier ra Leon e, t he r igh t to r eside in an y p art of Sier ra Leo ne, the r ight to
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ent er or leave Sierra Leo ne, and immuni ty from expul sion form Si erra Le one.
(2) Any rest riction on a pers on’s free dom of movem ent whi ch i s involved in his lawful detention shal l not be hel d to
be in con sisten t with or in con trav ention of this sectio n.
(3) Not hing c ontained in or done under aut hori ty of any law s hall be hel d to be i nconsi stent wi th or in cont rave ntion
of th is section to th e ex ten t th at th e law i n questio n m akes prov ision —
a. wh ich is reason ably requ ired in the interests o f defence, public safety, pu blic o rder, pub lic m orality, p ublic
heal th or the c ons ervat ion of the nat ural res ources, such as m ineral , m arine, f orest an d other res ources of
Sierra Leone, except in so far as that provisi on or, as t he cas e m ay be, the t hing done under the aut hority
there of is sh own not to be reas ona bly justifiable in a dem ocratic soci ety; or
b. for the imposi tion of re strictions on the m ovement or resi dence wi thin Sierra Leo ne of any pe rson who is
not a citizen t hereo f or the e xclusi on of e xpulsion f rom Sierra Leo ne of any su ch pe rson s; or
c. for the imposi tion of re strictions on the ac quisition or use by any perso n of land or other prope rty in Sierra
Leon e; or
d. for the imposi tion of re strictions upon the m ovem ent or re sidence wi thin Sierra Leo ne of pu blic officers or
me mbers of a defe nce force; or
e. for the rem ova l of a pers on from Sierra Le one to be tried ou tsid e Sierra Leo ne fo r a crimin al offen ce
recognised a s such by t he laws of Sie rra Leone, or to serve a term of im priso nment ou tside Sierra Leo ne in
the exec ution of the sente nce of a c ourt in re spect of a cri minal offe nce of whi ch he has b een convicted; or
f. for pre venting the de parture f rom Si erra Le one of a pers on wh o i s reas onably sus pect ed of ha ving
committed a cri me o r seek ing to ev ade the fulfil ment of an oblig ation im posed on him under th e ci vil law or
to ev ade m ilita ry serv ice:
Provi ded t hat no court or other a uthori ty shal l prohi bit any such pe rson from ent ering into or resi ding in any
place to which he is i ndi genous; or
g. for restricting vag rancy.

(4) If —
a. any pe rson whose free dom of m ovem ent has bee n rest ricted by virtue only of suc h a provi sion as i s
refe rre d to in p arag raph (a) of subsectio n (3 ) so re qu ests at an y ti me during the p eriod of that
restrictio n no t earlier th an thirty d ays after he last m ade su ch a req uest du rin g that p eriod , h is case
shall b e rev iewed by an ind epen dent an d imp artial tribun al, estab lish ed by law, co mprisin g no t
more than t hree pe rsons from am ongst pers ons of no t less t han fiftee n yea rs’ standi ng ent itled to
practice in Sierra Leo ne as legal p ractitio ners;
b. any tr ibun al h as b een set up un der paragraph ( a), th e Ch airman of th at t ribun al sh all b e appo inted
by th e C hief Justice, and th e two o ther m emb ers of the tribu nal shall be no minated by the Sierra
Leone Bar As sociation.
(5) On any review by a t ribunal in pursua nce of subse ction (4) of the case of any pe rson whos e f reedom of m ovem ent
has been restricted, the tribunal may make recommendations concerning t he nece ssity of expediency of continuing
that restriction to th e au thority b y who m it was ord ered , bu t un less it is otherwise prov ided by law, th at au tho rity
shall no t be obliged to act i n accorda nce with suc h recomm endations .
Protection from slavery and fo rced labou r. 19 . (1) No pe rson sh all be hel d in slave ry or servi tude or be re qui red t o per form force d labo ur or t raffic or deal in
hum an bei ngs.
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(2) F or the purpos es of t his se ction t he expressi on “force d l abo ur” does not include —
a. any labo ur requ ired in con sequ ence of a sen tence or or der of a cou rt; or
b. labo ur re qui red of any pe rson whi le he i s lawfully det ained, whi ch t hough not requi red i n con sequence of
the se ntence or orde r of a c ourt, is reason ably n ecessary in the in terest of hygiene or for the m ainten ance of
the p lace in which he is detained ; or
c. any labour req uired of a m ember of a defenc e f orce i n pu rsuance of his du ties as suc h or, in the ca se of a
pers on wh o ha s consci ent ious object ions to s ervice as such a m ember, any labour whic h t hat pe rson is
require d by law to pe rform in place of s uch service; or
d. any labo ur requ ired during a p eriod of public em ergency or calam ity w hich thr eatens the life of well-being
of th e co mm unity; o r
e. com munal labou r or labour whi ch form s part of other ci vic obl igation.
Pro tection f rom inhuman tre atment. 20 . (1) No pe rson sh all be s ubject to any form of t orture or any punishm ent or ot her t reat ment whi ch i s inhuman o r
deg rading.
(2) Not hing c ontained in or done under the a uthori ty of any law sh all b e held to be inconsisten t with or in
contrav ention of th is section to th e ex ten t th at th e law i n question a uthori ses t he infliction of any kind of pu nishm ent
wh ich was lawfu l imm ediate ly b efore th e entry in to force of th is C onstitu tio n.
Pro tection f rom deprivation of prope rty. 21 . (1 ) No propert y of any de scri ption shall be compul sori ly taken p osses sion of, and no interest in or r ight ove r
prop erty of any d escri ptio n sh all b e co mpulsorily acqu ired, ex cep t wh ere the fo llowing co nd itio ns are satisfied , that
is to say—
a. the tak ing of po ssessi on or acq uisition is necessary in the interests of defence, pub lic safet y, pu blic order,
public m orality , pub lic h ealth, to wn and co untry p lann ing , the d evelop ment o r utilizatio n of an y prop erty in
suc h a m anner as t o prom ote the pu blic be nefit or the publ ic wel fare of citizens of Sierra Leo ne; an d
b. the n ecessity th erefor is such as to affo rd reaso nable justificatio n for th e cau sing of an y hardship th at m ay
result to an y person having any in ter est in or righ t ov er th e pr op erty; and
c. prov isio n is mad e by law applicab le to th at t aking of po ssessio n or acqu isitio n—
i. for the prom pt pay ment of a dequat e compensat ion; and
ii. securi ng to a ny pe rson having an inte rest in or right over the property, a right of acces s to the court
or other im partial an d indep end ent au thority for th e d eterm inatio n of his interest or ri ght, the
legality of the taking of posse ssion or ac quisition of the property, i nterest or right, a nd the am ount
of an y co mpensatio n to wh ich h e is en titled an d fo r th e pu rpo se of ob tain ing prompt paymen t of
that com pensat ion.
(2) No thing in this sectio n sh all b e con stru ed as affectin g the m aking or op eratio n of an y law in so f ar as it pr ov ides
for the taking of posse ssi on or acq uisition of propert y—
a. in satisfaction of an y tax , rate or due;
b. by way of pena lty for breach of the law whether under ci vil process or a fter c onviction of a crim inal offe nce
c. as an in cid ent of a lease, ten ancy, m ortg age charg e, b ill of sale, p ledge or contract;
d. by way of the vest ing or a dministrat ion of trust prope rty, enem y pro pert y; bo na va cantia , pro perty of
prohibited al iens, or the prop ert y of pe rson s ad judged or other wise decl ared ban krupt or insol vent , pe rsons
of uns ound m ind, decease d persons, or bodi es corporate or incorporate in the course of being wound up;
e. in the e xecution of judgem ents o r orders of c ourts;
f. by reas on of su ch propert y bei ng in a da ngerous state or liab le to cau se inju ries t o th e health of human
being s, an im als or plants;
g. in con sequ ence of an y law with resp ect t o the li mitatio n of actio ns;
h. for so long on ly as su ch tak ing possession m ay b e necessary f or th e pur poses of an y ex amin atio n,
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investig ation , trial, or inqu iry, or, i n th e case of land, t he ca rrying out the reon—
i. of work of soil co nser vat ion or the co nse rvat ion of other nat ural res ources; or
ii. of ag ricul tural devel opm ent or improvem ent which t he ow ner or occ upi er of the land has been
req uired, and has wi thout reas ona ble or lawf ul exc use re fus ed or fai led t o carry out .
(3) No thing in this sectio n sh all b e con stru ed as affec tin g th e m aking or op eratio n of an y law for th e co mpulsor y
tak ing of po ssessio n in the public in terest of any pro perty or th e co mpulsory acqu isitio n in th e pub lic in terest in or
righ t ov er pro perty, wh ere th at p rop erty, in terest or righ t is hel d by a b ody corporat e w hich is est ablished di rect ly by
any law a nd i n whi ch no m oney s ha ve been inve sted other than m oney s prove d by Pa rliament or by the Legi slature
of the form er Colony and Protectorate of Sierra Leone.
(4) Any such pr op erty o f wh atev er descr iptio n compulsorily tak en po ssessio n of, and any in terest in, or righ t over,
propert y of any descri ption compul sori ly ac qui red in the publ ic interest or for pu blic purpos es, s hall be use d onl y in
the pub lic in terest o r fo r th e pu blic purposes for wh ich it is t aken or acqu ired .
(5) Whe re a ny suc h prope rty as is re fer red to in subsectio n (4) is no t used in th e pub lic in terest or fo r th e public
pu rposes for w hich i t was t aken or acq uired, the pers on wh o was t he ow ner immediately be fore t he co mpul sory
taking or ac quisition, as the case m ay be, sh all be gi ven t he first op tio n of acq uiring th at prop erty, in which ev ent he
shal l be re qui red t o re fund the w hol e or such part of the c ompensat ion as may be ag reed up on bet ween t he part ies
theret o; and i n the ab sence of any such ag ree ment suc h am ount as shall be det erm ined by the Hi gh Court .
Protection for privacy o f hom e and othe r pro perty.
22 . (1) E xcept wi th his ow n c ons ent , no per son sh all be s ubject ed t o the se arch of his pers on or his property or the
entry by others on his prem ise s, or inter ference w ith his co rrespon dence, telep hone conver satio ns an d teleg raphic and
electronic c omm unications.
(2) Not hing c ontained in or done under aut hori ty of any law s hall be hel d to be i nconsi stent wi th or in cont rave ntion
of th is section to th e ex ten t th at th e law i n que stion m akes p rovision t hat is reas ona bly re quired—
a. in th e interest of defen ce, public safety, pu blic o rder, pub lic m orality, p ublic h ealth , town an d coun try
plann ing , or the d evelop ment o r utilizatio n of an y pr op erty in su ch a m anners as to promote th e pub lic
benefit; o r
b. to ena ble any body corporat e est ablished di rect ly by any law or any depar tment of t he Gove rnment or a ny
local au thority to en ter on th e prem ises o f any p erson in order to carry ou t work in conn ectio n with an y
prop erty or installatio n wh ich is law fully on such prem ises an d wh ich b elongs to th at body co rpo rate or to
the Gov ernment or t o th at au thority, as th e case m ay b e; o r
c. for the purpose of protect ing the rights an d freedom s of ot her pers ons; or
d. for th e pur po se of ex ecu ting an y jud gement or or der of a co urt; or
e. for the purpose of affording s uch s pecial care and a ssista nce as are nec essary for the heal th, sa fety,
development an d w ell-b eing of wo men, ch ildren and young person s, t he aged and the han dicap ped;
and exce pt in so far a s that provi sion or, as the case m ay be, t he thing do ne unde r a uthori ty thereo f is show n not to be
reason ably ju stifiab le in a d emocratic so ciety.
Pro vision to se cure pro tection o f law. 23 . (1) Whe never any person is charge d w ith a crim inal o ffen ce he sh all unless th e ch arge is withd raw n, be af forded
a fai r hea ring wi thin a reas onable time by an i nde pende nt and impart ial court est ablished by law.
(2) Any court or ot her a uthority prescri bed by law for the determ inatio n of th e ex isten ce or ex ten t of civ il righ ts or
obligations sha ll be independe nt and im partial; and where proceedi ngs for such dete rm inat ion a re instituted by or
agai nst any per son or authority or the Gove rnment bef ore such co urt or authority, the cas e shal l be given fai r heari ng
with in a reasonab le tim e.
(3) All pr oceedin gs of ev ery co urt an d pr oceed ing s relatin g to the d eterm inatio n of t he ex isten ce or th e exten t of civ il
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rights or obligations bef ore a ny cou rt or other a uthori ty, includi ng the a nnouncem ent of the deci sion of t he c ourt or
other au tho rity, shall b e held in public:
Provi ded t hat the c ourt or ot her a uthori ty may, to suc h an e xtent as it m ay consi der necessary or e xpedi ent in
circum stances whe re publicity would pre judice the intere st of ju stice or i nterlo cutory ci vil pro ceed ing s or to su ch
ext ent as it m ay be em powe red or re qui red by law s o to do in th e in terest of defen ce, pu blic safety, pub lic ord er,
public m orality , th e welfare of person s und er the ag e of t wenty-o ne years o r the p rotectio n o f the p rivate liv es o f
pers ons c oncerned in t he proc eedings, ex clude from its proceedings, pe rsons ot her tha n the pa rties the reto and t heir
leg al rep resen tativ es.
(4) Ev ery perso n who is ch arg ed with a crimin al o ffen ce shall b e presumed to be innocen t un til h e is prov ed, or has
plead ed guilty:
Provi ded t hat nothing contained in or done under the autho rity of an y law sh all b e held to be inconsisten t with or
in co ntravention of this subse ction, t o the e xtent that the law i n quest ion i mposes o n any pe rso n charged as af oresai d
the b urden of proving part icular fact s.
(5) E very person who i s charged wi th a c riminal offe nce —
a. shall b e in formed at th e tim e he is ch arg ed in th e lang uage wh ich he understand s and in detail, of th e natu re
of the offe nce charge d;
b. shall b e given adequ ate tim e and facilities fo r th e preparatio n of his defence;
c. shall b e perm itted to defend himself in person or by a leg al practitio ner of his own cho ice;
d. shall b e afforded facilities to ex am ine in perso n or by his leg al practitio ner th e witn esses called by the
prosecu tio n b efore an y court and to ob tain the atte nda nce and carry out t he e xam ination of wit nesses t o
testify o n his beh alf before the cou rt on th e sa me co nditions as t hose a pplying t o wi tnesse s cal led by the
prosec ution; an d
e. shall b e perm itted to have with ou t paym ent the assist ance of an in terpreter if he can not un derstand the
lan guage used at th e trial of t he ch arg e:
Provi ded t hat nothing contained in or done under the autho rity of an y law sh all b e held to be inconsisten t with or
in con trav ention of th is sub sectio n to th e ex tent th at t he law in questio n pro hibits leg al rep resen tatio n in a Lo cal
Co urt.
(6) Whe n a pe rson is trie d for any crim inal offence , the accused person or a ny pe rson aut horise d by him in that behalf
shal l if he s o requi res, a nd s ubject to the pay ment of suc h reaso nabl e fee a s m ay be presc ribed by law, be gi ven
within a reas onable tim e, and in any e vent not more tha n three m onths afte r tr ial, a copy for the use of the accuse d
pers on of any record of the proceedi ngs m ade by or on behalf of the court.
(7) No p erso n shall b e held to b e gu ilty o f a crimin al o ffence on acco unt of an y act or omissio n wh ich d id not, at th e
tim e it took place, constitu te s uch an offe nce.
(8) No p enalty sh all b e im posed for an y crimin al offen ce wh ich i s seve rer in de gree or descri ption t han the m axim um
penalty wh ich mig ht have been im posed fo r th at offen ce at th e tim e wh en it was co mmitte d.
(9) No pe rson wh o s how s that he has bee n tried by any competent court for a c riminal of fence a nd either co nvi cted or
acq uitted sh all again be tried for th at offen ce or fo r an y other offen ce of which he cou ld have been conv icted at th e
trial f or th at off ence sav e upon th e ord er of a sup erior cou rt mad e in the cou rse of app eal proceed ing s relatin g to th e
conv ictio n or acq uittal; and no person sh all be tried for a cr imin al o ffen ce if he sh ows that h e has been pardo ned for
that offe nce:
Provi ded t hat nothing in any law shal l be hel d to be i nconsi stent wi th or in contrave ntion of this subsect ion by
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reason on ly th at it au thorises an y cour t to try a m ember of a defe nce force for a crim inal offe nce not withstandi ng any
trial an d conv ictio n or acqu ittal o f th at m emb er und er serv ice law; bu t an y cou rt so tryin g su ch a m ember an d
con victing him shal l in sent encing him to an y pu nishment take i nto acc ount any puni shment awar ded him unde r
service la w.
(10) Nothing cont ained i n or do ne unde r the aut hority of any law s hall be hel d to be i nconsi stent wi th or in
contrav ention of an y prov ision s of th is secti on, other th an subsectio ns (7) and (8), t o th e exten t that th e law in
questio n au thorises th e tak ing du ring a period of pub lic emer gency of m easure s that are reason ably ju stifiab le fo r th e
pu rpose of dea ling wi th the si tuation t hat exists be fore or during that peri od of publ ic emergency .
(11 ) In paragrap hs (c) and (d ) of sub section (5), th e exp ressio n “leg al practi tio ner” m ean s a p erson en titled to practise
as a Barrister an d So licito r of the Hi gh Cou rt.
Protection of freed om of conscience. 24 . (1) E xcept wi th his ow n c ons ent , no per son sh all be hindere d in the en joy ment of hi s free dom of co nscience a nd
for th e purpo se of th is sectio n the said freed om includes freedom of thou ght an d of rel igion , free dom to chan ge his
relig ion or belief, and freed om eith er alon e or in co mm unity with others and bo th in pub lic and in private to m anifest
and propa gate his religi on or belief in wo rship, teachi ng, practice and obse rva nce.
(2) E xcept wi th his ow n c onsent (or if he i s a m inor the c onse nt of his par ent or guardian) no pe rson attendi ng any
place of e ducation shall be require d to recei ve religious i nstruction or to ta ke part i n or t o attend a ny reli gious
cerem ony or observa nce if that instru ction, cerem ony or obser vance rel ates to a rel igion ot her than hi s ow n.
(3) No rel igious com muni ty or den ominat ion shal l be pre vented fro m providing relig ious in stru ction fo r p erson s o f
that com muni ty or de nominati on i n the course o f any ed ucation provided by that community or de nominat ion.
(4) No p erso n shall b e co mpelled to tak e an y o ath wh ich is cont rary to hi s rel igion or bel ief or t o take any oat h in a
man ner wh ich is con trary t o his relig ion or belief.
(5) Not hing c ontained in or done under the a uthori ty of any law sh all b e held to be inconsisten t with or in
cont rave ntion of this sect ion t o the ext ent that the law i n question m akes a provision which i s reas ona bly re qui red—
a. in th e interest of defen ce, public safety, pu blic o rder, pub lic m orality o r pu blic health ; or
b. for the purpose of protect ing the rights an d freedom s of ot her pers ons including t he right to obs erve a nd
practice an y relig ion witho ut the un solicited interv ention of th e m embers of an y o ther relig ion ;
and exce pt in so far a s that provi sion or, as the case m ay be, t he thing do ne unde r the a uthority there of, is sh ow n not
to be reas onabl y justifiable in a dem ocratic s ociety.
Protection of freed om of expre ssion a nd the press.
25 . (1) E xcept wi th his ow n c ons ent , no per son sh all be hindere d in the en joy ment of hi s free dom of ex pressi on, an d
for the purpose of this sectio n the said freedom includes the free dom to ho ld opi nions a nd to recei ve a nd im part ideas
and inform atio n with ou t in terferen ce, freedom fro m in terfere nce with his corres pondenc e, freedo m to own, estab lish
and operate an y medium for t he dissem inat ion of inform ati on, id eas an d op inion s, and ac adem ic freedom in
institu tio ns of learn ing:
Provi ded t hat no perso n other t han the Gove rnment or a ny pe rson or body authorised by the Presi dent shall own,
est ablish or operat e a t elevision or wi rel ess broadcast ing station for a ny purpose what soever .
(2) Not hing c ontained in or done under the a uthori ty of any law sh all b e held to be inconsisten t with or in th e
contrav ention of th is section to th e ex ten t th at th e law i n questio n m akes prov ision —
a. wh ich is reason ably requ ired—
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i. in th e interests of defen ce, public safety, pu blic o rder, pub lic m orality o r pu blic health ; or
ii. for the pu rpos e o f protect ing the re putations , ri ght s a nd fre edom s of ot her pe rso ns, preventing the
disclo sure of i nform atio n receiv ed in co nfiden ce, m aintain ing th e au thority an d ind ependen ce of
the co urts, or regul ating t he teleph ony , telegraphy , telecom muni cat ions, posts, wi rel ess
broadcast ing, television , pu blic exhi bitions or public ent ertainm ent ; or
b. whi ch i mposes rest rictions on publ ic officers or m embers of a de fence f orce;
and exce pt in so far a s that provi sion or, as the case m ay be, t he thing do ne unde r the a uthority there of, is sh ow n not
to be reas onabl y justifiable in a dem ocratic s ociety.
Protection of freed om of assembly and association.
26 . (1) E xcept wi th his ow n c ons ent , no per son sh all be hindere d in the en joy ment of hi s free dom of ass embly and
asso ciatio n, t hat is to say, his righ t to assemb le freely an d associ ate wi th ot her pers ons and in pa rticular to fo rm or
belon g to an y political p arty, trad e un ion s or other econ omic, so cial o r profession al asso ciatio ns, nation al o r
intern ation al, fo r the p rotection of his interests.
(2) Not hing c ontained in or done under the a uthori ty of any law sh all b e held to be inconsisten t with or in
contrav ention of th is section to th e ex ten t th at th e law i n questio n m akes prov ision —
a. wh ich is reason ably requ ired—
i. in th e interests of defen ce, public safety, pu blic o rder, pub lic m orality, p ublic h ealth , or pro vision
for th e m ainten ance of supp lies and serv ices essen tial to the life of th e co mm unity ; o r
ii. for the purpose of protect ing the rights an d freedom s of ot her pers ons; or
b. whi ch i mposes rest rictions up on public officers a nd upon m embers of a defence force; or
c. wh ich im poses restriction s on th e estab lish ment of po litical parties, or regulates th e organ isatio n,
reg istration , and fun ction ing of political p arties and the co nd uct of its m embers;
and exce pt in so far a s that provi sion , or a s the case m ay be, t he thing do ne unde r the a uthority there of is sh own not
to be reas onabl y justifiable in a dem ocratic s ociety.
Pro tection f rom disc rim ination. 27 . (1) S ubject to the provi sions of su bsect ion (4), (5), an d (7), no law s hall make p rovision which is discri minat ory
eith er of itself or in its effect.
(2) S ubject to the provisions of subse ctions (6), (7), a nd ( 8), no pers on shall be t reat ed in a di scri minat ory manner by
any pe rson act ing by virtue of any law or in the per formance o f the funct ions of any publ ic office or any pu blic
autho rity.
(3) In th is secti on th e exp ressio n “d iscrimin ato ry” m eans af fordi ng di ffe rent treatm ent to diffe rent pe rsons
attributable wholly or m ainly to their respect ive de scripti ons by race, t ribe, sex, place of orig in, political opi nions,
colou r or creed wh ereb y person s of on e su ch descri ptio n ar e subj ected to disab ilities o r restrictio ns to wh ich person s
of anothe r such descri ption a re not m ade subject, or a re ac corde d privile ges or a dva ntag es which are not accorded to
pers ons of an other suc h desc ription.
(4) Sub section (1) sh all no t app ly to an y law so far as th at law m akes prov ision—
a. for th e appr op riatio n of revenu es or other fun ds of Sierra Leone or for the im posi tion of taxat ion (incl uding
the lev ying of fees fo r th e grant of licen ses); or
b. with respect to pers ons who are no t citizens of Sierra Le one; or
c. wi th respect to pers ons wh o a cqui re citizens hip of Sierra Leone by re gistration or by nat ural izat ion, or by
reso lutio n of Parlia ment; o r
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d. wi th respect to ado ption, marriage, di vorce , bu rial, dev olution of pr opert y on deat h or other interests of
person al law ; or
e. for the application i n the case of m embers of a pa rticular race or trib e or custo mary law with resp ect to an y
matter to th e ex clu sion of any law with respect to th at m atter wh ich is ap plicab le in th e case of other
pers ons; or
f. for a uthori sing the taking du ring a peri od of pu blic em ergency of m easure s that are reas onabl y justifiable f or
the purpo se of dealin g wit h the situ atio n th at exists during t hat pe riod of publ ic em ergenc y; or
g. wh ereb y p erson s of an y su ch descri ptio n as men tio ned in su bsectio n (3 ) may b e subj ected to an y disabilit y
or restriction or m ay be accorded any privilege or ad vantage which, ha ving rega rd to its nature a nd to
speci al circum stances pert aining t o those pe rso ns or to pe rsons of any other such de scri ption, is reas ona bly
justifiab le in a democratic so ciety; o r
h. for th e li mitat ion of citizen ship or relatin g to national registrat ion or to the col lect ion of dem ogra phi c
statistics.
(5) Not hing c ontained in any law s hall be held to be i nconsi stent wi th or in co ntravent ion of su bsect ion (1) to the
exten t that it mak es prov ision with resp ect t o qualification s for service as a public office r or as a m ember of a
defe nce force or for the se rvice of a l ocal governm ent authority or a body co rporat e e stablished direct ly by any law or
of me mb ership of Parliame nt.
(6) S ubsect ion (2) shall not appl y to any thing whi ch i s expressl y or by nec essary implicati on a uthorised to be done
by any suc h provi sions of law as i s refe rre d t o in subsect ion (4) or (5).
(7) Not hing c ontained in or done under the a uthori ty of any law sh all b e held to be inconsisten t with or in
cont rave ntion of this sect ion t o the ext ent that the law i n question m akes p rovision whe reby pe rsons of a ny su ch
descr iptio n as i s m entio ned in subsectio n (3 ) may b e subj ected to an y restr ictio n of th e righ ts an d fr eedom s
gua ranteed by sect ions 18, 22, 24, 25 and 26 bei ng suc h a restriction as is aut hori sed by subs ect ion (3) of sect ion 18 ,
subsectio n (2 ) of sectio n 22 , su bsectio n (5 ) of section 24, su bsect ion (2) of sect ion 2 5 or s ubs ect ion (2) of sect ion 26 ,
as the case m ay be.
(8) Th e ex ercise of an y d iscretio n relatin g to the institu tio n, co ndu ct or d isco ntinu ance o f civ il or crim inal
proceed ing s in any court th at i s vested in an y person un der or by this Con stitu tio n or an y other law sh all not be
enqu ired into by an y Cou rt on th e grou nd s that it co ntravenes th e prov ision of sub section (2 ).
Enforcem ent of protective provisions . 28 . (1) S ubject to the provi sions of su bsect ion (4), i f any pe rso n alleges that any of the provi sions of sec tions 16 to 27
(incl usive) has been , is bei ng or is likely to be co ntravene d i n rel ation t o him by any pers on (or, i n the ca se o f a
pers on wh o i s det ained, if an y ot her pers on alleges suc h a cont rave ntion i n rel ation t o the det ained per son ), then,
with ou t preju dice to an y o ther actio n with resp ect to the sam e matter wh ich is lawfu lly av aila ble, that pers on , (o r that
other pers on), may appl y by motion t o the Suprem e C ourt for re dres s.
(2) Th e Sup reme Co urt shall have orig inal ju risd ictio n—
a. to hea r and det erm ine any ap plicat ion m ade by any pe rson in pursua nce of subject ion (1); and
b. to determ ine an y qu estion arisin g in the case of an y p erson whi ch is refe rred to in pursuance of subsect ion
(3), a nd m ay made s uch order , issue s uch wri ts, an d give su ch direct ions a s it m ay consi der a ppropriate fo r
the pur po se of en forcing, o r secu ring the e nforcem ent of any of the provisions of the sai d sect ions 16 to 27
(in clusive) to the protectio n of wh ich th e p erso n co ncern ed is en titled :
Provi ded that t he Suprem e Cour t sh all no t ex ercise its po wers under th is subsectio n if it i s satisfied that adequ ate
means o f red ress f or the c ontravent ion al leged a re or have been a vailable to the pe rson co ncer ned un der any ot her
law.
(3) If i n any proceedi ngs in a ny court ot her t han the Supre me Court, any que stion arises as to the c ontravention of
any of t he provisions of sections 16 to 27 i nclusive, th at c ourt m ay, and s hall if any party t o the proceedi ngs so
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req uests, re fer the q uestio n t o the Suprem e Court.
(4)
a. Th e R ules of Court Co mm ittee m ay make rules with respect to the practice and procedure of th e Su preme
Co urt fo r th e pu rpo ses of th is sectio n;
b. Parliam ent may co nfer upo n th e Sup rem e Co urt su ch pow ers in add itio n t o tho se con ferred by th is secti on
as m ay appear to Pa rliament to be necessa ry or desi rabl e for the pu rpose of ena bling the court m ore
effectiv ely to ex ercise t he jurisdictio n con ferred upo n it b y this section .
(5) Parliam ent shall m ake prov ision —
a. for the re nderi ng of financi al assi stance t o any indigent citizen of Si erra L eone where his ri ght un der this
Ch apter h as been infri nged, or wit h a view to en abling him to en gage the serv ices of a leg al practitio ner to
prosec ute hi s claim ; and
b. for e nsuring that allegat ions of infringem ents o f such right s are s ubstantial and the requi rement or nee d for
fin ancial or legal aid is real.
(6) T he Su pre me C ourt —
a. consistin g of no t less th an five Ju stices of the Suprem e Court s hall consi der e very que stion re ferred to i t
un der this Chapter for a deci sion, an d, ha ving hear d a rguments by or on behal f of the parties by Coun sel,
shall pr ono un ce its d ecision on su ch question in op en co urt as so on as m ay b e an d in an y case not later th an
thirty d ays after th e d ate of such referen ce;
b. shall fo r th e purpo ses of th is Ch apter, give its d ecision by a m ajority of the J ustices of t hat Court a nd s uch
decision sh all be pron oun ced b y th e Ch ief Ju stice or an y o ther of th e Ju stices as th e Cou rt sh all d irect.
Pub lic Emergency. 29 . (1) Whe never in t he opi nion of t he Presi dent a state of pu blic em ergency is imminent or has c ommenced, t he
Presid ent m ay, at an y tim e, b y Proclam atio n wh ich shall be pu blish ed in the Ga zette , dec lare that—
a. a state of public em ergency e xists either in a ny part, or in the wh ole of Sierra Leo ne; or
b. a situ atio n ex ists wh ich , if it i s allo wed to con tin ue, m ay lea d to a state of public em ergency in an y part of or
the whole of Sierra Leone.
(2) T he Presi dent m ay issue a Proclam ation of a state of public em ergency only when—
a. Sierra Leone is at wa r;
b. Sierra Leo ne is in imminent dange r of invasi on or involvem ent in a state o f wa r; or
c. there i s act ual brea kdown of pu blic order a nd pu blic safet y in the whol e of Si erra Le one or any pa rt thereof
to s uch an exte nt as t o re quire extra ordin ary measures t o re store peace and sec urity; or
d. there is a clear and prese nt da nge r of an act ual brea kdown of public or der an d pu blic saf ety in the wh ole o f
Sierra Leon e or an y p art th ereof requiring extr aordinary me asures to a vert the same ; o r
e. there is a n occ urrence of imminent danger, or the occ urrence of any disaster or natural cala mity affecting t he
comm unity o r a sectio n of t he co mm unity in Sierra Leon e; or
f. there is an y other public d anger wh ich clearl y co nstitu tes a threat to th e existen ce of Sierra Leon e.
(3) E very decl aration m ade unde r subsection (1) s hall laps e—
a. in th e case of a d eclaration m ade wh en Parli ament is sittin g at th e ex piratio n of a p eriod of sev en days
begi nni ng wi th the dat e of publicat ion of the decl arat ion; and
b. in any other ca se, at the ex piration of a peri od of twenty-one day s beginning wi th the dat e of the decl aration,
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unl ess it has in the m eant ime been ap proved by or superse ded by a R esolution of Parl iament supported by the votes
of two-t hirds of the M embers of Parl iament.
(4) A decl arat ion made un der subsect ion (1 ) m ay at any time before bei ng sup erse ded by a Resol ution o f Parl iament
be revok ed b y the Presid ent by Proclam atio n wh ich shall be pu blish ed in the Ga zette , and all m easures taken
thereu nd er sh all b e deem ed valid and lawfu l and sh all no t be enq uired in to b y an y curt or trib un al.
(5) Du ring a pe riod of publ ic emergency , the Presi dent m ay make suc h reg ulations an d t ake s uch m easures as ap pear
to him to be ne cessary or e xpedient for the purpose of m aintaining a nd sec uring peace , order and good gove rnm ent in
Sier ra Leon e or an y p art th ereof.
(6) Withou t derog ating fro m the generality of th e powers con ferred by subsectio n (5 ) and no twith stan ding th e
prov isio ns of this Ch apter, the reg ulation s or m easu res m ay, so far as a ppears to the Presid ent to b e necessary or
expe dient for any of the pu rposes m entioned in that subsect ion—
a. make p rovision for the det ention of pers ons, the rest riction of the m ovem ent of per sons within de fined
localities, an d th e deportatio n and ex clusion of perso ns other th an citizen s of Sierra Leo ne fro m Sierra
Leon e o r any par t thereof ;
b. autho rise—
i. the taking of possessi on or control on behal f of the Gove rnment of any prope rty or un dertaki ng;
ii. the acqu isitio n on behalf of the Go vernment of an y prop ert y other th an lan d;
c. autho rise th e en tering and search of an y pr emis es;
d. am end a ny law, su spe nd t he operat ion of any law, a nd a ppl y any law wi th or wi thout m odi ficat ion:
Prov ided th at su ch amen dment, su spension or m odificatio n sh all no t app ly to this Co nstitu tion :
e. provide for c harging , in res pect of the gra nt of issue of any license, perm it, certificate or other docum ent for
the pur po se of the r egu latio ns, su ch fees as may be prescri bed by or unde r the re gulations;
f. provide for paym ent of c ompensat ion a nd re munerat ion t o pers ons a ffect ed by the regul ations;
g. provide for the ap pre hension, trial and punishm ent of per sons offendi ng against the re gulations;
h. prov ide for m aintain ing su ch supp lies an d serv ices as are, in th e op inion of th e Presid ent, essen tial to the life
and well-b eing of th e co mm unity:
Provi ded t hat nothing in this subse ction shal l aut horise the m aking of regul ations during a peri od of pu blic
em ergency for the trial of per sons who a re no t members o f defence forces by military cou rts.
(7) T he pay ment of any compensat ion or remunerat ion under the provisions of such reg ulations shal l be a cha rge
upon th e Con solid ated Fund .
(8) R egul ations m ade un der this sect ion s hall appl y to the wh ole of Si erra Leo ne or to such pa rts thereof as m ay be
specified in t he re gulations.
(9) Reg ulations m ade under th is section m ay p rov ide for em powering su ch au tho rities or person s as m ay b e sp ecified
in the regul ations t o m ake Or ders a nd Rules for any of the purposes for wh ich t he regul ations are aut horised by this
Constitution t o be necessa ry or e xpe dien t for the purposes of the regulations.
(10)
a. Every regul ation or m easure taken unde r this sect ion an d e very order or rule m ade i n pu rsua nce of such a
regu latio n shall, witho ut prejud ice to the valid ity o f an ything lawfully do ne there unde r, cease t o have e ffect
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ninety d ays from the d ate up on wh ich it co mes in to operat ion unless before the e xpi rat ion of the peri od , it
has bee n approved by res olution pa ssed by Parliament.
b. Any such reg ulation, o rder or rul e may, wi thout prejud ice to th e v alid ity of an yth ing lawfu lly d one
there under at any time be am ende d or re voke d by the Presi dent .
(11) Subject to the provisions of su bsect ions (7) a nd (8) of sect ion 23 , every reg ulation m ade un der this sect ion a nd
every order or rul e m ade i n pursuance of su ch a regul ation shal l have ef fect not wi thstanding a nything incon sistent
there with cont ained i n any law; an d a ny provision of a law wh ich is in consisten t with any su ch regu latio n, order or
rul e shall, whet her that provi sion ha s or has not bee n am end ed, m odi fied or sus pende d i n its o perat ion un der any Act ,
cease to have e ffect to the ext ent that s uch regulation, orde r or rule rem ains in force.
(12) A decl aration m ade u nder subse ction (1) that has bee n app rove d by or su pers ede d by a res olution of Parl iament
in pur suance of su bsectio n (2) sh all, su bject to th e prov ision s of sub section (3), rem ain in force as lon g as th at
reso lutio n rem ains in fo rce.
(13) A res olution of Parliament pa ssed for the p urpose of this sectio n shall rem ain in force fo r a p eriod of twelv e
mont hs o r such sh ort er peri od as m ay be spec ified t herein:
Provi ded t hat any suc h resol ution m ay be ext ended from time to time by a further such resol ution, supported by
the votes of two-t hirds of Me mbers of Parlia ment, each ext ension not exc eeding twel ve months from the date of t he
resol ution ef fecting t he extension; and a ny such res olution may be re vo ked at any time by a res olution s upported by
the vo tes of a si mple majority of all th e Mem bers o f Parliamen t.
(14) Any provision of this Se ction that a declaration m ade unde r subsection (1) s hall laps e or cease t o be in force at
any pa rticular time is wi thout pre judi ce t o the m aking o f a further suc h dec larat ion whether bef ore or after that time.
(15) Every doc um ent pu rport ing to be a n instrum ent m ade or i ssu ed by the Presi dent or ot her aut hority or pers on in
pu rsuance of this sect ion, or of any reg ulation m ade t here under and to be signed by or on be hal f of the Presi dent or
suc h other aut hori ty or pers on, shal l be rec eived i n evi dence, an d s hall, unt il the co ntrary be proved, be deem ed t o be
an instru ment mad e or issu ed b y th e Presid ent or t hat au thority o r person .
(16) T he Presi dent m ay summ on Parliam ent to m eet fo r the p urpose of su bsect ion ( 2) no twithstanding that
Parl iament then st ands di ssolved , and the perso ns who we re M embers of Parl iament imm ediately befo re t he
disso lutio n sh all b e deem ed, for tho se purposes, still to be Me mbers of Parlia ment but sub ject t o the prov ision s of
sectio n 79 of this Con stitu tion (wh ich relates to the electio n of th e Sp eaker of Parliam ent), withou t prej ud ice t o th e
prov isio ns o f sectio n 85 of this Con stitu tio n (wh ich relate s to th e pro longatio n of th e life of Parliam ent during a
peri od of pu blic em ergency ). Parl iament shal l not whe n summoned by vi rtue o f this subs ect ion t ransact any business
other than debating a nd voting up on a res olution for the purpos e of s ubsect ion (2).
17 . Du ring a period of det ention—
a. if any per son wh o i s det ained in such a cas e as i s m entioned i n pa ragra ph (a) of subsect ion (6) a nd wh o i s
not rel eased so re quest s at an y time not earl ier than thirty days aft er he l ast made suc h a reque st during that
peri od , his cas e shal l be re viewed by an inde pen dent an d i mpart ial tribun al est ablished by law, com prising
not m ore t han three pe rsons from am ongst persons of not les s tha n fifteen y ear’ s standi ng e ntitled to practi se
in Sierra Leone as leg al practitio ners;
b. the Chairm an of the tri bunal , set up un der par agraph (a) shall b e appo inted by th e C hief Justice, an d th e two
other m embers shal l be nom inated by the Sie rra Leone Ba r Ass ociation;
c. on an y review by a tr ibun al in pu rsuance of par agraph (a) of th e case of any d etain ed per son, th e tr ibun al
may make reco mmendat ions c once rning the necessi ty or expedi ency of continui ng hi s de tention t o the
autho rity b y wh om it was ordered, but un less it is o therwise prov ided by law, t hat au thority sh all n ot be
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oblige d to act i n acc orda nce with an y su ch reco mmen dation .
(18) Nothing cont ained i n or do ne unde r the aut hority of any law s hall be hel d to be i nconsi stent wi th or in
contrav ention of th is section to th e ex ten t th at th e law i n question a uthori ses t he taking during a peri od of a st ate o f
public em ergency of m easure s that are reason ably justifiab le fo r the purpose of dealin g with th e situ ation th at ex ists
im mediately befo re a nd during t hat period of a st ate o f pu blic em ergency .
Inte rpretation of Chapter III. 30 . (1) In this Ch apter, u nless the con text o therwise requ ires, th e fo llo wing expression s h ave th e fo llowing m ean ings
resp ectiv ely, that is to say—
“co ntrav ention” in relatio n to any requ irem ent in clud es a failu re to co mply with that requ irem ent, an d cog nate
exp ressi ons shall be co nst rued acc ordingly;
“co urt” m ean s an y court of law in Sierra Leo ne other th an a lo cal co urt or a court con stitu ted by or under serv ice law
and—
a. in sect ion 16 , sect ion 17 , sect ion 18, sect ion 19 , subsect ions (3 ), (5 ), (6), (9) (bu t no t th e pr ov iso th ereto )
and (11 ) of Sectio n 23, sub sectio n (2) of sectio n 25 , sub secti on 8 of section 27 , sub section (3 ) of section 28
and su bsection (4 ) of section 29 in clud es, in relati on t o an offe nce a gainst service la w, a court s o
constitu ted ; and
b. in sect ions 17 and 19, an d subsect ion ( 8) of sect ion 27, include s, i n rel ation t o an offe nce agai nst ser vice
law, an officer of a defe nce force or of the Si erra Leone Pol ice Force.
“defe nce force ” m eans any na val , m ilitary or airforce of the Gove rnment of t he Republ ic of Si erra Le on e;
“member” in relatio n to a defen ce force or oth er discip lin ed force, i ncludes an y person who , und er th e law regu latin g
the d isci plin e of th at force, is subject t o th at discip lin e;
“owner” incl udes any person or his successor in title deprived of any right or interest pursuant to section 21; a nd
“service la w” means the la w rega rdi ng th e discip lin e of a def ence fo rce or of the Sierra L eone Police Force or t he
Prison s Serv ice or an y d iscip lined vo lun teer force.
(2) R eferences in sect ions 16 , 17 , 18 an d 21 to a “c riminal offe nce” s hall be co nst rued as includi ng re fer ences t o an
offence agai nst ser vice l aw a nd s uch re fere nces i n subsect ions (4) to (9) of sect ion 23 shall, in rel ation t o procee dings
before a court co nstitu ted by or und er serv ice law, b e simil arly con stru ed.
(3) Not hing do ne by or unde r the aut hority of the law of an y cou ntry other than Si erra Le one to a m ember of a n
arm ed fo rce r aised unde r that law a nd lawfully prese nt in Si erra Leo ne s hall be hel d to be in cont rave ntion of the
prov isio ns of this Ch apter.
(4) In relation to any pe rson who is a m ember o f a disc iplin ed force raised under an Act of Parlia ment, no thing
cont ained i n or done under the aut hority of the disci plinary law of th at force sh all be held to b e in consisten t with or in
cont rave ntion of any of the p rovisions of this Chapter.
(5) In relatio n t o an y p erso n wh o is a m ember of a discip lin ed force raised othe rwise than as aforesai d and lawfully
presen t in Sierra Leon e, no thing con tain ed in or don e un der the au thority of th e d iscip linary law of that force sh all b e
hel d to be i nconsi stent wi th or in co ntravent ion of an y of the pr ov ision s of th is Ch apter.
(6) In determ ining t he a pprop riate ” majority of all Me mbers of Pa rlia ment” account shall only be take n of the pe rsons
actu ally an d v alid ly ex istin g as Mem bers of Parliam ent at t he relev ant time.

CHAPT ER IV — T HE REPR ESENTAT ION OF T HE PE OPLE
Registra tion of voters. 31 . Ev ery citizen of Sierra Leo ne being eighteen years of ag e an d abov e an d of sou nd m ind shall h ave the righ t to
vote, and accord ing ly sh all be entitled to be reg istered as a vo ter for the p urposes o f pub lic electio ns and referen da.

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Electoral Co mm ission. 32 . (1) T here shall be a n Electoral Commission for Si erra L eone .
(2) T he m embers of the Elect oral C ommission shall be a Chief Elect oral Commissioner, who shall be t he C hairm an,
and four ot her m embers who shal l be known as Electoral C ommissioners.
(3) T he m embers of the Elect oral C ommission shall be a ppoin ted b y the Presid ent after co nsultatio n wit h th e lead ers
of all reg istered political p arties and sub ject t o th e approv al of Parliam ent.
(4) A person sh all no t b e qualified —
a. for a ppointm ent as a m ember of the Elect ora l Commissi on i f he i s not qualified to be elected as a Mem ber
of Parl iament, or
b. to hold office as a m ember of the Electoral Commission if he is a Minist er, a De puty Minister, a Mem ber of
Parl iament, or a p ubl ic officer , o r if he ha s at tained t he a ge of sixty-five y ears.
(5) T he term s and conditions of service of m embers of the Electo ral Co mmissio n sh all be su ch as Parlia ment sh all
prescribe.
(6) A m ember of the El ect ora l Commissi on shal l be fore as sum ing t he functions of hi s office, t ake an d subs cri be
before th e Presid ent th e Oat h as set ou t in the Th ird Sch edule to th is C onstitu tio n.
(7) Subject t o the provisions of th is section, a m ember of t he Elector al C ommission s hall vacate his office—
a. at th e exp iration of fiv e years fro m th e d ate of his appo intmen t; or
b. on attain ing the ag e of sixty-five y ears; or
c. if any circ um stances a rise whi ch, i f he were not a m ember of the C ommissi on, would ca use him to be
disqual ified for ap poi ntment as suc h.
(8) A m ember o f th e Elect oral Co mmissio n may b e rem oved fro m office by th e Presi dent fo r in ability to disch arge
the f unct ions of his o ffice (whether a rising f rom infirm ity of m ind o r bo dy or any ot her c ause) or for m isbe havi our.
(9) A m ember of the El ect ora l Commissi on shal l not be removed from office exce pt in a ccorda nce with the
prov isio ns of this section .
(10) Whe neve r a m ember of t he El ect oral Commissi on di es, resi gns, i s re moved f rom of fice, or i s abse nt from Si erra
Leon e, or is by reaso n of illn ess or an y o ther cau se un able to perform th e fu nction s of his office, th e Presid ent m ay
appo int a p erson who is qu alified to be appo inted Electo ral Co mmissio ner and an y person so appo inted sh all, su bject
to th e prov ision s of sub section s (6) and (7), continu e to perform th ose functio ns un til h is appo intm ent is rev oked by
the Presid ent, or un til th e Electo ral Co mm issio ner is ab le to perform th ose fu nction s, or until th e appo intm ent o f a
new El ect oral Commissi oner.
(11 ) In the ex ercise of an y fun ctio ns vested in it b y th is Con stitu tio n, th e Electo ral Co mmissio n sh all no t b e su bject
to the direct ion or cont rol of any pe rson or authori ty.
(12) The C hief El ect oral Commissi oner s hall su bm it a repo rt on the programme and w ork of the El ect ora l
Commission at least once a ye ar to the Presi dent and a copy of such rep ort sh all be laid before Parliam ent.
Functions of the Electoral Co mm ission. 33 . Sub ject t o the prov isio ns of th e Con stitu tio n, th e Electoral Co mmissio n sh all be respon sib le for t he co ndu ct and
superv ision of the r egistration of voters for , an d of , all pu blic electio ns and r eferenda; and fo r that pur po se sh all have
po we r to m ake re gul ations by statutory instrument for the registrat ion of voters, the c ond uct of Presi dential,
Parl iamentary or Local Gove rnment elect ions an d refe renda, an d other m atters co nnected there with, includi ng
regu latio ns for v oting by proxy.
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Political Partie s Registra tion Comm ission.
34 . (1) Th ere sh all b e a Po litical Parties Registratio n Commi ssio n wh ich shall con sist of fo ur m embers ap po inted by
the Presid ent, namely—
a. the C hairm an of the C ommissi on, who s hall be a pe rson who ha s hel d Judicial of fice or is qualified t o be
app ointed a Judge of the S uperior Court of Judi cat ure nominat ed by the Judicial an d Le gal Ser vice
Co mmis sion;
b. the Chief Electoral C ommissione r;
c. a leg al practitio ner no minated by th e Sierra Leon e Bar Asso ciatio n; and
d. a m ember nominated by the Si erra Leon e Lab our Cong ress.
(2) T he m embers of the C ommissi on, other than t he C hief Elect oral Commissi oner, shal l be a ppointed by the
Presid ent sub ject to th e app rov al of Parliam ent.
(3) T he Administrator a nd Re gistrar -Ge neral sh all be Secret ary to the Co mmissio n.
(4) Th e C ommissio n sh all be respon sib le for th e reg istration of all po litica l parties an d for th at pu rpose may make
such regu latio ns as m ay b e necessary for th e disch arge of its resp on sibilitie s un der t his Con stitu tio n;
Pro vided that th e first registratio n of po litical p arties after th e co ming into force of this Co nstitu tion shall b e
unde rtake n by the Electoral Commission.
(5) In th e ex ercise o f an y functio ns vested in it b y th is Con stitu tio n, the C ommiss ion sh all no t b e su bject to th e
direct ion or control of any pe rso n or authori ty, save only as re gar ds the right to appeal cont ained i n sec tion 35 .
Registra tion and cond uct of p olitical partie s.
35 . (1) Sub ject to th e pro vision s of th is secti on, political parties m ay b e estab lish ed to particip ate in sh aping th e
political will of th e p eop le, to d issem inate in form ation on po litical id eas, an d social and eco nomic p rog ramm es o f a
natio nal character, an d to spon sor cand idates fo r Pres idential, Parliam entary or Lo cal Gov ernment elect ions.
(2) Th e internal o rganisatio n of a political party sh all confo rm to democratic p rinciples, and its aim s, o bjectives,
purposes an d prog ramm es sh all n ot co ntrav ene, or be in consisten t with , any p rov isions of th is Con stitu tio n.
(3) A statem ent of the s ources of inc ome and th e au dited acco un ts of a political p arty, to geth er with a state ment o f its
assets and liab ilities, sh all b e submitted an nually to th e Po litical Parties Reg istratio n Co mmissio n, but no su ch
account shall be audited by a me mber of th e political party whose account is subm itted.
(4) No po litical p arty sh all h ave as a lead er a p erson wh o is not qu alified to be elected as a Mem ber o f Parlia ment.
(5) No asso ciatio n, by wh atever name called , sh all be reg istered or be allowed to op erate or to fun ction as a political
party if t he Po litical Parties Reg istratio n Commiss ion is satisfied th at—
a. me mbership or leaders hip of t he part y is restricted to m embers of any particular t ribal or e thni c group or
relig iou s faith ; o r
b. the nam e, sy mbol , col our or motto o f the pa rty has e xclusive or pa rticular significance or connotation t o
me mbers of any p articu lar tribal or ethnic gro up or relig ious f aith ; or
c. the pa rty is formed f or the s ole purpose of se curi ng or adva nci ng t he interests an d wel fare o f a part icular
trib al or et hnic grou p, co mm unity, g eograp hical area or relig iou s faith ; or
d. the pa rty does not have a registered office i n each of the Provi ncial Hea dquarter towns a nd the Western
Area .
(6) Sub ject t o the prov isio ns of th is C onstitu tio n, and in furth eran ce of th e prov isio ns of this section , Parlia ment may
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mak e laws regu latin g the reg istratio n, fun ctio ns an d op erati on of po litical parties.
(7) An y asso ciatio n ag griev ed by a decision of th e Po litical Parties Reg istratio n Commiss ion un der this sectio n m ay
appeal t o the Suprem e Court and the decision of th e C ourt shall b e fin al.
(8) F or the purpos es of t his se ction t he expressi on —
“associ ation” includes a ny bo dy of persons, corporate or inco rporate, who agree to act togethe r for a ny comm on
purpose , or an association formed for a ny ethni c, social, cu ltural , occu pat ional or rel igious pu rpose; an d
“political p arty ” m ean s an y asso ciatio n reg istered as a po litical p arty as prescrib ed by su bsectio n (5).
Secret ballot. 36 . At an y pu blic electio ns or referend a vo ting sh all b e by secret b allo t.
Referendum . 37 . (1) In any referen dum held pursu ant to an Act of Parlia men t, ev ery p erson wh o is en titled to vo te i n electio ns of
Me mbers of Parlia ment sh all be en titled to vo te at su ch re ferendu m an d no other person may so vo te; an d th e issu e in
the re fere ndum shal l not be regar ded as having bee n approved at that refe ren dum unl ess it was s o approved by the
vot es of not less than one -hal f of all suc h person s or by not less t han two-t hirds of all the val id vot es cas t.
(2) T he c ond uct of any refe ren dum fo r the purposes of subsection (1) shall be un der the ge neral super vision of the
Electo ral Co mmissio n and the prov ision s of Sectio n 38 of t his Con stitu tion sh all app ly in relatio n to the exercise by
the Electoral Commission of i ts functions with resp ect to a referendu m as th ey app ly in relatio n to th e ex ercise of its
funct ions wi th respect to elect ions of M embers of Parl iament.
(3) A Bill for an Act of Parliamen t under th is Section sh all not be sub mitted to th e Presi dent for his assen t un less it is
accom panied by a certificate unde r the ha nd of the Speake r (or i f the Spea ker is for any reason una ble t o exercise t he
funct ions of this office, the De put y Speaker ) that the provisions of subsect ions (1), (2) a nd (3) of sect ion 106 an d,
whe re a pprop riate, t he provisions of subsect ions (1) and ( 2) have bee n complied wi th.
Constituencies and elections. 38 . (1) Sierra Leon e sh all b e divided into such co nstitu encies fo r th e pu rpo se of electin g the Mem bers of Parlia ment
referred to in paragraph (b ) of sub section (1) of sectio n 74 of th is C onstitu tio n as th e Electo ral C ommissi on, acting
with th e approv al of Parliam ent sign ified b y resolutio n of Parlia ment, m ay prescri be.
(2) Ev ery con stitu ency estab lish ed under th is s ectio n sh all retu rn one Memb er of Parliamen t.
(3) Th e bo undaries of each co nstitu ency shall b e su ch th at th e number of inhabitan ts th ereof is as n earl y eq ual to the
popu latio n qu ota as is reas ona bly practicable.
Provi ded t hat the number o f inhabitants of suc h a co nst ituency m ay be g reat er or less than t he po pulation qu ota
in order t o take account of m eans of comm unications , geograp hical feat ures, density of po pulation, t he distribution of
differen t co mmunities, th e areas an d bou ndaries of t he Ch iefdo ms an d other ad ministrativ e or trad itional areas.
(4) Th e Elect oral Co mmissio n sh all rev iew the d ivision of Si erra Leon e into con stitu encies at in terv als of not less
than fiv e and no t m ore th an sev en years, and may alter th e co nstitu encies i n acco rdance with th e pro visio ns of th is
sectio n to su ch ex ten t as it m ay co nsid er d esirab le in th e ligh t of t he rev iew:
Pro vided that th e C ommi ssio n m ay at a ny ti me carry ou t su ch a rev iew an d alter th e con stitu encies in acco rdance
with th e pro visio ns of th is sectio n to su ch ex tent as it consi ders necessa ry in c onseque nce of any alteration in the
num ber of M embers of Parl iament refe rre d t o in pa ragra ph (b) of su bsect ion (1) of sect ion 74 by reas on of the
hol ding of a ce nsu s of t he population of Si erra Leo ne in pu rsuance of a n Act of Parl iament.
(5) Wh ere t he boun daries of any con stitu ency are altered in acco rdance with th e pro visio ns of th is sectio n, that
alteratio n sh all co me in to effect u pon th e next d isso lutio n of Parliam ent after th e alte rat ion has bee n approved by
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Parliam ent.
(6) In this sect ion “p opul ation quot a” m eans the n umber obt ained by dividing the number of inhabi tants of Si erra
Leon e by th e nu mber of co nstitu encies in to wh ich Sierra Leo ne is divided un der this sect ion.
(7) F or the purpos es of t his se ction t he number of i nha bitants o f Si erra Leo ne s hall be asc ertained by ref erence to the
latest cen sus of th e popu latio n of Sierr a Leone h eld in pu rsuance of an Act of Parl iament or if no cen sus has bee n so
held, b y referen ce to an y av ailab le in form ati on, wh ich in the opinion of the Electoral Commissi on best indi cat es the
num ber of those inha bitants.
(8) Th e reg istratio n of vo ters and th e con duct o f electio ns in ev ery con stitu ency shall be subject t o th e directio n and
superv ision of the Electoral Co mmissio n, and it sh all cau se th e regi ster of vot ers to be re vised an d revi ewed at least
once in ev ery th ree ye ars.
Filling of vacan cies. 39 . (1) Whe n the seat of any me mber of Pa rlia ment becomes vaca nt, the vacancy shall be filled by ele ction, not later
than six m onths after the vaca ncy oc curs, i n accorda nce with the provisions of law relating to s uch election;
Pro vided that if Parliam ent is disso lved before su ch electio n is du e to be held, th e vacan cy sh all b e filled at th e
gene ral elect ion.
(2) Th e Pro clamatio n appo inting a d ate for the holding of an election to fill a v acan cy sh all b e pub lish ed in th e
Ga zette not less t han twenty-one day s be fore the dat e appointed for hol ding the el ect ion.
CHAPT ER V – THE EXEC UT IVE
PART I – TH E PRESID EN T Office o f President. 40 . (1) T here shall be a President of t he Re public of Sierra Leone who s hall be Hea d of St ate, the s uprem e exec utive
autho rity of t he Repu blic an d th e C omman der-in-Ch ief of the Arm ed Fo rces.
(2) T he Presi dent shall be t he Fo untain of Honour an d J ustice an d t he sy mbol of nat ional uni ty an d soverei gnty.
(3) Th e Presi dent sh all b e the gu ard ian of the Con stitu tio n and the gu aranto r o f nation al in depend ence an d territorial
integ rity, an d sh all en sure resp ect fo r treaties and intern ational agreem ents.
(4) No twith stan ding any provisio ns of this Constitu tion or any o ther law t o th e co ntrary, t he Presid ent shall, with ou t
pre judi ce t o any suc h law as may for t he time bei ng be adopt ed by Pa rliament, be res ponsible, in addition t o the
fun ction s co nferred upon him in th e Con stitutio n, for—
a. all co nstitu tional matters co ncern ing leg islatio n;
b. relatio ns with Fo reign States;
c. the recep tion of en vo ys accred ited to Sierra Leon e an d th e appo intm ent o f prin cip al rep resen tativ es of Si erra
Leone a broad;
d. the ex ecu tion of treaties, agreemen ts o r conv entio ns in th e name o f Sierra Leo ne;
e. the exe rcise of the Prerogati ve of Mercy;
f. the gr ant of Honour s an d Aw ards;
g. the decla ration of war; a nd
h. such other m atters as m ay b e referred to th e Presid ent by Parlia ment:
Provi ded t hat any Treat y, Agreem ent or Convention ex ecut ed by or unde r the a uthority of t he Pre sident which
relates to an y matter with in the leg islativ e co mpeten ce of Parliam ent, o r wh ich in an y way alters th e law of Sierra
Leon e or im poses an y ch arge on, or au thorises an y exp end iture ou t of , the Co nsolid ated Fu nd or an y o ther fun d of
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Sierra Leone, a nd any declarat ion of war m ade by the Pr esiden t sh all b e sub ject t o ratificatio n by Parliamen t—
i. by an enactm ent of Parliam ent; or
ii. by a resol ution su pp orted by the vot es of not less t han one -half of the M embers of Parl iament.
Qua lific ations f or Offic e of President. 41 . No pe rson shal l be qualified for el ect ion as Presi dent unless he—
a. is a citizen of Sierra Leone;
b. is a m ember o f a po litical p arty;
c. has attaine d the age of forty years; and
d. is o therwise qualified to be elect ed as a Mem ber of Parlia ment .
Election of President. 42 . (1) A Presi dential can didate sh all b e no min ated by a po litical p arty.
(2) Th e followi ng pro vision s sh all app ly to an election to the office of Presid ent—
a. all p erso ns reg istered in Si erra Leon e as vo ters fo r the pu rposes of election to Parlia ment sh all b e en titled to
vote i n the elec tion;
b. the po ll sh all be tak en b y a secret b allo t on su ch d ay or days, at su ch ti me, and in su ch man ner as m ay b e
prescrib ed by or und er an Act o f Parliam ent;
c. a candidate for an election t o the office of President s hall be deem ed to ha ve been duly el ected to suc h office
wh ere he is t he on ly cand idate no minated for the electio n aft er th e clo se of nominatio n;
d. where in an electio n to th e of fic e of President a candidate no minated for t he election dies, is in cap acitated or
disqu alified, the p arty wh ich nominated him sh all with in se ven day s of such deat h, incapaci tation o r
disqual ificat ion, nominat e anot her ca ndi dat e;
e. no pe rson s hall be electe d as Preside nt of Si erra Le on e un less at th e Presi dential electio n h e has po lled not
less t han fifty-five pe r ce nt of the val id votes in hi s fa vo ur; and
f. in de fault of a candi dat e bei ng dul y elect ed un der para gra ph (e), the two candi dat es wi th the hi ghe st number
or numbers of vot es shal l go forward t o a sec ond elect ion which shal l be held wi thin fourteen day s of the
annou ncem ent of th e resu lt o f the prev iou s electio n, and the can didate p ollin g the h igh er nu mber of v otes
cast in his favou r sh all be decl ared Pre side nt.
(3) A pers on elect ed t o the office of Pre sident un der this sec tion s hall ass ume that of fice on the day up on whi ch he i s
declare d elected by the Ret urning Officer, or up on the dat e that hi s predecessor’ s term of office ex pires , whi cheve r is
the latter.
Period during w hich Presidential elections shall take place.
43 . A Presid ential electio n shall tak e place—
a. whe re the office of Preside nt is to bec ome vacant by e ffluxi on of tim e a nd the Preside nt continues in offi ce
aft er the beginning of the peri od of four m onths e ndi ng wi th the dat e when his term of office wo uld ex pire
by ef fluxion of time, du ring the first three m ont hs of that period;
b. in any other ca se, du ring the peri od of three mont hs be ginning wi th the date whe n the office of Pre sident
becom es vaca nt:
Provi ded that —
a. whe re any proceedings ha ve been lawfully commenced or taken for the purposes of the election a nd
assu mptio n of office of a Presid ent, it sh all no t b e re commende d or ret aken whet her or not a P resi dent has
there by bee n duly elected, by reason only that a vaca ncy has occ urred in the office of Presid ent otherwise
than by efflux ion of tim e; an d th e sai d proceed ing s sh all, sub ject t o the prov ision of this C onstitu tion , be
continue d a nd committed in accorda nce with this Constitution and a ny other law for the t ime being i n force
relating t heret o, with s uch m odification as m ay be necessa ry; and
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b. whe re the office of Preside nt becom es vaca nt du ring a pe riod whe n Parl iament is di ssolved, t he P resi dential
elect ion s hall be hel d an d c ompleted bef ore the el ect ion of Members of Parliament.
Parlia ment to ma ke laws for election of President. 44 . Parliam ent shall m ake laws fo r the pu rpose of regu latin g th e electio n of th e Presid ent and o ther m atters co nn ected
therewith .
Pre sidential Return ing Offic er. 45 . (1) T he C hief Electoral C ommissioner s hall be t he Re turning Of ficer fo r the election of a Presi dent.
(2) Any qu estio n wh ich m ay arise as t o wheth er—
a. any pro vision of th is C onstitu tio n or an y law relatin g to the electio n of a Presid ent under section s 42 an d 43
of th is C onstitu tio n h as been complied with ; or
b. any p erso n has b een valid ly elected as Presi dent und er sectio n 42 of th is C onstitu tion or an y o ther law,
shall b e referred to and determined by t he Suprem e Court.
Tenure of of fice of President, etc. Second Sc hedule.
46 . (1) No pe rson sh all h old office as Pre side nt for m ore th an two t erm s of five y ear s eac h whether or not the term s
are c onsec utive.
(2) Any person who is elected Presi dent while he is , or has been elected a Me mber of Parlia ment shall, on ass uming
office as Presi dent, cease t o be a n elected Me mber of Parlia ment and his seat shall be declared vaca nt.
(3) Th e Presi dent sh all no t, wh ile h e con tinues in office as Presi dent, hold any ot her of fice of pr ofi t or emolument in
the service of Sierra Leone or occupy any other position carry ing t he right to rem unerat ion for rende ring ser vices.
(4) Upon his assu mptio n of office, th e Presiden t sh all tak e and sub scrib e the o ath fo r th e due e xecuti on of his office
as set ou t in the Second Sch edule to th is Con stitu tio n.
(5) T he oath aforesai d s hall be adm inist ered by the C hief Justice of Sierra Leone or t he person for t he time being
appointe d t o exercise t he func tio ns of th e C hief Ju stice.
Pre sident in Parlia ment. 47 . Th e Presi dent sh all b e en titled to ad dres s Parliam ent in person or to sen d a m essag e to Parliam ent to be read by
his Vi ce-Presi dent or a M inister on hi s behal f.
Incidents of office, etc. 48 . (1) Th e Presid ent sh all receiv e su ch salary an d allo wan ces as m ay be prescri bed by Parlia ment and s uch salary
and allowa nces payable t o the Preside nt are hereby charged on the C onsol idated Fu nd.
(2) Th e salary and allo wan ces of th e Presid ent sh all no t b e altered t o hi s disadva ntage during his tenure of office.
(3) T he Presi dent s hall be e xempted from personal taxati on.
(4) While any pers on hol ds or perform s the functions of the office of Pre sident, no civil or crim inal proceedings s hall
be institu ted or con tin ued ag ainst him in respect o f an yth ing do ne or omitted to b e don e by h im either in his official
or private ca pacity.
(5) Th e Presi dent sh all b e en titled to su ch p ension and re tiri ng b enefits as sh all b e prescri bed b y Parliamen t.
Vacancy in offic e of President. 49 . (1) T he office of Pre side nt shall bec ome vacant—
a. on th e exp iratio n of an y of the term s p rescri bed in sub sectio n (1 ) of section 46 of t his Con stitu tio n; or
b. whe re the inc umbent dies or resigns or retire s from that of fice; or
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c. whe re the inc umbent ceases to hol d that offi ce in purs uanc e of section 50 or 51 of this C onstitution:
Pro vided that th e Presi dent sh all no t resi gn or retire from his o ffice even at th e du e ex piratio n of his term of
office w hile a gene ral elect ion of M embers of Parl iament is pe nding wi thin the e nsuing t hree m ont hs, or where a
state of p ubl ic em ergency has bee n decl are d.
(2) If Sierra Le one is at war i n which t he nat ional territory is physical ly invol ved , and the Presi dent considers t hat it
is not pract icab le to hold elect ions , Pa rliament m ay by reso lution e xtend the peri od of five y ears m entione d i n sub-
sect ion (1) of sect ion 46 , but no su ch ext ension shal l excee d a period of six m ont hs at an y one time.
(3) Any resi gnation or ret irement by a pers on from the o ffice o f Presid ent sh all b e in writin g addressed to th e Ch ief
Just ice an d a copy there of shall be se nt to the Spea ker a nd the C hief Elect oral C ommissione r.
(4) Whe never the P reside nt dies, re sig ns, retires or is rem oved from office as a re sult of parag raphs (b) and (c ) of
subsectio n (1 ), the Vice-Presid ent shall ass ume office as President for t he une xpir ed term of th e Presid ent with effect
fro m th e d ate of th e d eat h, resig nation , retiremen t or rem oval of the Presi dent, as the cas e m ay be.
(5) T he Vice-Preside nt shall, before ass uming office as Pres ident in acc ordance with s ubsection (4), ta ke and
subscri be th e oath fo r th e du e execu tion of his office as set out in th e Secon d Sch edu le to th is Con stitu tio n.
Mental or phy sical incap acity. 50 . (1) Whe re the Ca binet has resol ved that the que stion of the m ental or physical cap acity o f th e Presi dent to
disch arge th e function s con ferred on him by th is Con stitu tio n oug ht to be investig ated and has inform ed th e Sp eak er
accordingly, the Spea ker shall, in c onsultation with the Hea d of the Me dical Serv ice of Si erra Leone, appoi nt a B oard
consisting of not less tha n five person s selected by him from am ong pe rsons re gistere d as medical pra ctitioners unde r
the laws of Sierra Leon e.
(2) T he B oard app ointed un der subse ction (1) shall en qui re into th e m atter and m ake a repo rt t o th e Sp eak er statin g
the o pinion of the B oard whet her or not the Presi dent is, by reas on of any infirm ity of m ind or body , incapabl e of
disch arging th e fu nction s con ferred on th e Presid ent by th is Co nstitu tion .
(3) Wh ere the Cab inet h as reso lved that the q uestio n of the mental or phy sical capacity of the Presi dent to disc harge
the functions conferred on hi m by this Constitution ought to be inves tigat ed in accordance with the provisions of
subsection (1), the Preside nt shall, as s oon as anothe r pers on ass umes the office of Presi dent, cease t o perform those
fun ction s an d until th e B oard sub mits i ts repo rt, tho se fun ctions sh all be ex ercised in acco rdance with su bsectio n (1 )
of sectio n 52 of th is C onstitu tio n.
(4) Whe re the Board rep orts that the Presi dent is incapable of di schar ging the f unct ions conferred on hi m by this
Co nstitu tion by reason of infirm ity o f m ind or bod y, th e Sp eak er sh all certify in writin g acco rding ly, and th ereu pon ,
the Preside nt shall cease to hold office a nd a vaca ncy s hall be deem ed to have occ urre d in the office of Presi dent a nd
subsectio n (4 ) of sectio n 49 of th is C onstitu tio n shall ap ply.
(5) Upon receipt of t he re port of the Boa rd refe rred to i n subsection (4), t he Spea ker shall—
a. if Parliam ent is th en sittin g or has been su mm oned to m eet, with in fiv e days co mm unicat e th e repo rt t o
Parliam ent;
b. if Parliam ent is no t th en sitting (and no twithstan ding that it m ay b e pro rogued), su mm on Parliam ent to meet
within t wenty-one days after the receipt by the Spea ker of t he repo rt of the Board a nd c ommunicate the
rep ort of the Boar d t o Pa rliam ent.
(6) F or the purpos es of t his se ction—
a. the C abinet m ay act not wi thstandi ng any vac ancy in its m embershi p or the abse nce of an y member;
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b. a Certificate by the Speake r that the Presi dent is by reas on of m ental or ph ysical infirm ity u nabl e to
disch arge th e function s of th e office of Presid ent con ferred on him by th is Co nstitu tion shall, in resp ect of
any pe riod for whi ch i t is in force , be c oncl usive a nd shal l not be e ntertained or enqui red i nto in any court.
Misconduc t by President. 51 . (1) If no tice in writing is given to th e Speak er sign ed by not less th an one-half of all th e Mem bers of Parlia ment
of a m otio n alleg ing th at t he Presid ent has co mmit ted an y violatio n of t he Con stitu tio n or an y gross m iscondu ct in
the pe rformance o f the funct ions of hi s office an d s peci fying the part iculars of the allegat ions and proposing t hat a
trib un al be ap po inted und er this sectio n to investig ate tho se alleg atio ns, the Sp eak er sh all—
a. if Parliam ent is th en sittin g or has been su mm oned to m eet with in fi ve days, cau se th e m otio n to be
considere d by Parliam ent within seve n days of the receipt of the notice; or
b. if Parliam ent is no t th en sitting (and no twithstan ding that it m ay b e pro rogued), su mm on Parliam ent to meet
within t wenty-one days of the recei pt of the notice, a nd ca use the m otion t o be c onsidere d by Pa rlia ment.
(2) Wh ere a mo tio n und er th is sectio n is prop osed fo r con sideration by Parlia ment, it sh all meet in secret session and
shall no t debate th e m otio n, bu t th e Sp eak er or th e person presid ing in Parl iament sh all forthwith cau se a vo te to be
tak en on th e mo tio n and , if t he m otio n is supp orted b y the vo tes of no t less th an two th irds of all Mem bers of
Parliam ent, shall d eclare th e motion to be passed .
(3) If a m otion is decl are d to be passe d unde r sub sect ion (2)—
a. the Speake r shall immediatel y n otify t he Chief Justice wh o sh all ap po int a tribu nal wh ich sh all co nsist of a
Chairm an who shall be a J ustice of the Supreme C ourt and not less than four ot hers sel ect ed by the C hief
Justice, at least two of who m sh all ho ld or shall have hel d high judicial of fice;
b. the Tri bun al shall in vestig ate t he m atter an d shall with in the peri od of three mont hs f rom the dat e on which
the m otion w as passe d repo rt to Pa rliament through the Spea ker whether or not it finds the part iculars of t he
allegat ion s pecified i n the m otion t o have been sustained;
c. the P resi dent shall ha ve t he ri ght to appea r and be re pre sent ed bef ore the Tribunal during its invest igation of
the alleg ation s ag ain st h im.
(4) If t he T ribunal re ports t o Parliam ent that if fi nds th at t he particula rs of any allegation a gainst t he Presi dent
speci fied in the m otion ha ve not bee n subst antiated, no further procee dings shal l be t aken unde r this Sec tion i n
resp ect of that alleg atio n.
(5) Wh ere t he Tribu nal rep orts to Parliam ent th at it find s th at th e p articu lars of any alleg atio n sp ecified in th e m otio n
have bee n substantiated, Pa rliament may, in secret sessi on , on a m otion s upp orted by the vot es of not less than two-
third s of all th e Mem bers o f Parlia ment, resolv e th at the Presid ent has been gu ilty o f su ch violatio n of t he
Co nstitu tion or, as t he case m ay b e, such gross m isco nduct as is in compati ble with h is con tin uance i n office as
Preside nt; and whe re Parliament s o re solves, the Preside nt shall there upon ceas e to hold office a nd a vac ancy s hall
then be deem ed to h ave occurred in the office of Presid ent and su bsection (4 ) of Section 49 of t his Con stitu tio n sh all
appl y acc ordingly.
Tem pora ry fillin g of vacan cy. 52 . (1) Wh enever th e Presi dent is ab sen t from Sierra Leone or is by reason of illn ess or any o ther cau se un able t o
perform th e fun ctio ns co nferred upon him by th is Con stitu tio n, tho se fun ctio ns sh all b e perfo rmed by the Vice-
Presid ent.
(2) Up on ass umption of office unde r subsec tion (1), t he Vi ce-Pre sident sh all not take a nd su bscri be the oat h of office
of Presi dent.

PART II — EX ECUTI VE POWERS
Exercise of execu tive authority in S ierra Leone .
53 . (1) Sub ject to th e pro vision s of th is C onstitu tio n, the ex ecu tiv e power in Sierra Leone sh all vest in th e Presid ent
and m ay be ex erci sed by him direct ly or throug h m embers of the C abinet , M inisters, De put y M inisters or public
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officers subordinate to him .
(2) In the e xerc ise of his funct ions , the Pre sident m ay act in accorda nce with the advice of the Ca binet or a Minister
actin g under the g eneral au thority o f the Cab inet ex cep t in cases wh ere, b y th is Con stitu tion or any o ther law, h e is
requ ired to act with th e appr ov al of Par liam ent or in acco rdan ce with the ad vice of an y p erson or au tho rity o ther th an
the Cab inet:
Provi ded t hat the Presi dent shall alway s act in acc ordance wi th his deliberat e judge ment in signifying his
app roval for the p urpose of an ap poi ntment to a n office o n his pers onal staff.
(3) Wh ere by this Con stitu tion or und er an y other law th e Presid ent is required to act in acco rdance with th e ad vice
of any person or aut hority, the question whe ther he has in any case receive d or acted i n ac corda nce with suc h advice
shall no t be inqu ired in to in any co urt.
(4) T he refe ren ce in s ubsectio n (1) to the functions of the Presid ent sh all be con stru ed as referen ce to his po wers and
dut ies in the ex erci se o f the e xecut ive a uthori ty of Sierra Le one an d t o any other po wer s and duties c onferre d or
imposed on him as Presid ent by or un der th is Con stitu tio n or an y other law.
(5) No thing in this sectio n sh all p revent Parli ament fro m conferri ng fu nctions on perso ns or au tho rities other th an the
Presid ent.
Vice P resident. 54 . (1) Th ere sh all b e a Vice-Presid ent of the Repu blic of Sierra Leon e wh o shall b e the Prin cipal Assistan t to the
Presid ent in the d isch arge of his ex ecu tiv e fu nction s.
(2) A pers on—
a. shall be desi gnated a ca ndidat e for t he office of Vice -Presid ent by a Presid ential candidat e be fore a
Presid ential electio n;
b. shal l not be qu alified t o be a candi dat e for the office of Vice-Presid ent un less he has the qu alificatio ns
specified in se ction 41.
(3) A ca ndi dat e shal l be dee med t o be dul y elect ed as Vi ce-Pre sident if the ca ndi dat e who de signated him as
candi date for e lection to the office of Vice-Preside nt ha s been duly elected as Preside nt in accorda nce with the
provisions of s ect ion 42 .
(4) T he Vice-Preside nt shall, before en ter ing up on the duties of his of fice, take and subsc ribe the oath of Vice-
Presid ent as set o ut in th e Th ird Sch edu le of this Con stitu tion .
(5) Whe never the office of t he Vice-Pres ident is vaca nt, or the Vice-President dies, r esigns, r etires or is removed
fro m office, t he Presi dent shall ap po int a p erso n qu alified t o be elected as a Mem ber of Parlia ment to the office of
Vice-Preside nt with e ffect from the date of s uch vaca ncy, death, resign ation , retirem ent or rem oval.
(6) Whe never the Preside nt and Vice-Pr esi dent are both for any reas on una ble to perform the f unct ions of the
Presid ent, t he Sp eak er of Parlia ment sh all perfo rm th ose function s un til th e Presid ent or Vice-Presi dent is ab le to
per form those funct ions, a nd shal l take a nd s ubs cri be the oath of office as set out in the S econ d Sche dule be fore
com menci ng to per form thos e f unct ions.
(7) Whe re the Spea ker of Pa rlia ment assu mes the of fice of Presi dent as a resul t of the de ath, resi gnation or rem oval
from office of the Preside nt and Vice-Pres ident, th ere sh all be a Presi dential electio n with in ninety d ays of that
assum ption of of fice.
(8) Th e prov isio ns of sectio ns 50 an d 51 of t his Con stitu tion , relatin g to the rem oval from office of th e Presi dent,
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shall app ly to the rem oval from office of the Vice-Presi dent.
Vac ancy in the office o f Vice- President. 55 . The office of the Vice-Pre sident s hall be com e vacant—
a. on th e exp iratio n of t he term of office of th e Presi dent; or
b. if the Vice-Presid ent resign s o r ret ires fr om office or di es; or
c. if the Vice-Pre sident is rem oved from office in accordance with the provis ions of section 50 or 51 of t his
Co nstitu tion ; or
d. upon th e assum ption by th e Vice-Presid ent to th e offi ce of Pr esid ent under su bsectio n (4 ) of section 49 .
Ministers and D eputy Ministers of Gove rnm ent.
56 . (1) T here shall be, in addi tion to the offi ce of Vice-Pr esident, suc h other offices of Ministers and Deputy
Ministers as m ay be esta blished by the Presi dent:
Pro vided that no M ember o f Parliament shal l be a ppoi nted a M inister or De put y M inister.
(2) A pers on shall not be appointed a M inister or De put y Minister u nless—
a. he is qu alified to be elected as a Mem ber of Parliam ent; an d
b. he has not cont ested a nd lost a s a ca ndi date in the general election imm ediately precedi ng his nom inatio n for
appo intm ent; an d
c. his nom ination is ap proved by Parl iament.
(3) A M inister or a Dep uty M inister s hall not, while he c ontinue s in office, hol d a ny ot her office o f profit or
em olum ent wh ether by way of allowances or ot herwise, wh ether pri vate or publ ic, and ei ther di rect ly or indi rect ly:
Pro vided that th e Vice-Presid ent, th e Mi nisters and the Depu ty Min isters sh all b e en titled to su ch rem uneratio n,
allo wan ces, gratu ities, p ension s, and other incid ents of offi ce as m ay b e prescri bed b y Parlia ment.
(4) Sub ject t o the prov isio ns of section 53 of this Con stitu tion , the Min isters and Dep uty Min isters sh all ho ld office at
the Presid ent’s d iscretion .
(5) S ubject to the provisions of subse ction (6), t he Vi ce-P resident and t he other M inisters unde r the direction of the
Presi dent shall be resp onsible for such depa rtments of St ate or ot her business o f the G over nment as t he P resi dent
may assig n to th em .
(6) Not withstandi ng the provisions of subsec tion (5), t he P resi dent shall be res ponsible f or suc h depart ments of St ate,
inclu ding th e Co mmissio ns estab lish ed under th is C onstitu tio n, as he m ay determ ine.
Oaths to be taken by Ministers, etc. 57 . A M inister or a Dep uty M inister s hall not ent er upon the dut ies of hi s office u nless he has t aken an d s ubs cri bed
the o ath for t he du e ex ecu tion of his du ties as set ou t in th e Th ird Sch edule.
Ministerial vacan cies. 58 . (1) T he office of a Minist er or a De puty Minister shall becom e vaca nt—
a. on th e exp iratio n of t he term of office of th e Presi dent; or
b. if hi s a ppoi ntment is re voke d by the Presi dent; or
c. if he resi gns or ret ires from of fice o r dies; or
d. if he is elected as Speake r or Depu ty Sp eak er o f Parliam ent; or
e. up on the ass umption of any other pers on to the office o f Presi dent.
(2) Not withstandi ng the provisions of para graph s (a ) a nd (e ) of s ubsect ion (1), M inisters a nd De puty M inisters shal l
not vacate offi ce as such by reason of the e xpiration of t he term of office of the Presi dent or the as sum ption by the
Spea ker to t he office of Presi dent purs uant to s ubsections (7) and (8) of se ction 54 and shall accord ingly continue to
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perform th e fun ctio ns of their resp ectiv e offices un til th e el ectio n of th e new Presid ent an d th e Vice-Presid ent.
Esta blis hment of Cabine t. 59 . (1) T here shall be a Cabinet wh ose funct ions shall be t o advise th e Presid ent in th e governm ent of Sierra Leone
and wh ich sh all co nsist of th e Presid ent, t he Vice-Preside nt and s uch Mini ster s as t he Presid ent m ay from time to
time appoi nt.
(2) A pers on a ppointe d as a Me mber of Ca binet s hall vac ate hi s seat i n the Ca binet is he ceases to be a Minister or i f
the Preside nt so directs.
(3) T he C abinet shal l det erm ine t he ge neral pol icy of the Gove rnment.
(4) Th e Presi dent sh all ho ld reg ular m eetin gs of th e Cab inet at whic h he s hall preside, a nd in his abse nce the Vice-
Presid ent sh all presi de.
Collective respo nsibility. 60 . (1) Th e Cab inet sh all b e co llectiv ely respo nsible to Parli ament for an y advice given to th e Presid ent by or un der
the g eneral au thority o f th e C abinet an d fo r all th ings don e by or un der th e au thority o f any Min ister in the ex ecu tion
of hi s office.
(2) T he provisions of this sect ion shal l not apply in rel ation t o—
a. the ap pointment an d rem oval from offi ce of Ministers an d Dep uty M inisters, or the assi gnm ent of
respon sib ility to an y Min ister; or
b. the exe rcise of the prer og ativ e of m ercy; o r
c. the exe rcise by the Attorney -Gene ral a nd Minister of J ustic e or the Di rect or of Public Pr osec utions of the
po we rs c onferred up on them un der sect ion 66.
Const itution of offices. 61 . Sub ject t o the prov isio ns of th is C onstitu tio n and of an y Act of Parliamen t, th e Pres ident m ay co nstitu te offices
for Sie rra Leo ne, m ake app ointm ents to any such office a nd terminate any s uch appointm ent.
Administra tion o f Min istries. 62 . Wh ere an y Min ister h as been ch arg ed with respo nsib ility for an y d epartment of Go vernment, h e sh all ex ercise
gene ral direct ion an d c ontrol ove r that de partment and, subject to such di rection a nd co ntrol, the de partment shall be
unde r the supe rvision of a Permanent Sec retar y, whose offic e shall be a public office:
Provi ded t hat two or m ore De part ments of Government m ay be pl ace d unde r the s upe rvi sion of one Perm anent
Secretary.
Prerogative of Mer cy. 63 . (1) T he Pre sident m ay, acting i n acc orda nce with the advice of a Co mmittee ap po inted by th e Cab inet ov er wh ich
the Vice -Pre sident shall presi de—
a. gra nt any pe rson co nvicted of any offe nce a gainst the laws of Sierr a Leone a p ardon , either free or subject to
lawfu l cond itio ns;
b. grant to an y person a resp ite, eith er ind efin ite or for a sp eci fied period, of the ex ecu tion of an y pun ish ment
im posed on that pers on for such a n offence;
c. substitu te a less sev ere form of punishment fo r an y pu nishmen t imposed on an y person for su ch an offen ce;
d. rem it the w hol e o r any pa rt of any pu nishment imposed upon any perso n for such an offence or any penal ty
or forfeiture ot her wise due to the G over nment on acc ount of such an offe nce.
(2) Whe re a ny pers on has bee n se ntence d t o deat h by any Court for a ny offence, t he C ommittee app ointed un der
subsectio n (1 ) shall cau se a written rep ort of the case fro m the trial judg e together with su ch o ther in formatio n,
includi ng a m edical re po rt on the p risoner, derived f rom the rec ord of the case or else where, as the C ommittee may
requ ire, to be submitted to it as soon as po ssi ble.
Esta blis hment of off ice 64 . (1) T here shall be a n Attorney-Ge neral a nd Minister of Justice who shall b e th e prin cip al leg al ad viser to th e
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of A ttorney- General and M inister of J ustice. Go vernm ent and a M inister.
(2) T he At torney-Ge neral and M inister of Justice shal l be appointed by the Presi dent from am ong pe rsons qualified
to hold office as a J ustice of t he Suprem e Court a nd shall have a seat i n the Ca binet.
(3) Al l offe nce s prose cuted in the nam e of t he R epubl ic of Sierra Leone s hall be at th e su it of th e Attorn ey-Gen eral
and Minister of J ustice or s ome other pe rson a uthoris ed by him in accordance with any law gove rni ng the sam e.
(4) T he Attorney-Ge neral a nd Minister of Justice shall ha ve audience i n all Courts i n Sierra Leone e xcept local
courts.
Solicitor – Ge neral. 65 . (1) Th ere sh all b e a So licito r-Gen eral, wh ose office sh all b e a public office.
(2) Th e So licito r-Gen eral sh all b e appo inted b y th e Presid ent on th e ad vice of th e J udicial a nd L egal S ervice
Commissi on a nd he shall, be fore ass uming t he funct ions of hi s office, t ake an d s ubscri be to the oat h as set out in the
Th ird Sch edule to th is Con stitu tio n.
(3) A person sh all no t b e qualified to ho ld or act in the offi ce of So licito r-Gen eral unless h e is qu alified fo r
appointm ent as a J ustice of the Court of Appeal.
(4) Th e So licito r-Gen eral sh all b e th e prin cipal assistan t to the Attorney-General and Minister of J ustice.
(5). The So licitor-General shall h ave aud ience in all c ourts i n Sie rra Leone except l ocal c ourts.
(6). Th e So licit or-Gen eral sh all in all matters o r any ot her l aw be s ubject to the gene ral or speci al di rect ion of the
Attorney-Gene ral and Mi nister of Justice.
(7) Subject t o the provisions of this section, a pe rson holding the office of Solicitor-Ge neral shall vacate his office
whe n he attains the a ge of sixty-five years .
(8) If t he office of So licito r-Gen eral is vacant o r th e ho lder of th at office is fo r an y reason un able t o perfo rm th e
fun ction s th ereo f, a person qualified fo r appo intm ent to th at office m ay be appoi nted t o act therein, a nd any pe rson s o
appo inted sh all, subj ect to th e prov isio ns of subsectio n (7 ) and sub section s (9) to (12 ) inclu sive, co ntinu e to act until
a p erson has b een ap po inted to an d h as assumed th e fun ctio ns of t he office of So licito r-Gen eral or un til th e p erso n
hol ding the office has res umed t hose funct ions.
(9) Th e So licito r-Gen eral m ay b e rem oved fro m office on ly for in ability to disch arge th e fu nction s of his office,
(w het her arising from infirm ity of m ind or body or any ot her ca use) , or for m isbehavi our an d s hall not be so rem oved
excep t in acco rdance with th e prov isio ns of this section .
(10) If the Judi cial and Legal Ser vice C ommissi on represe nts to the Pre sident that the que stion of rem ovi ng the
Sol icitor-Ge neral from of fice un der subs ect ion (9) ought to be i nve stigated t hen—
a. the Presid ent, actin g in con sultatio n with th e Judicial an d Leg al Serv ice C ommiss ion, shall ap po int a
trib un al wh ich shall con sist of a Ch airm an and two other m embers, all o f wh om sh all b e person s wh o ho ld,
have hel d or ar e q ualified t o hold office as a Justice of t he Suprem e Court; and
b. the tribun al shall en qu ire i nto th e m atter an d rep ort on the fact s there of an d t he findi ngs there on, a nd
reco mm end to the Presid ent wh ether th e Solicito r-G eneral ou ght to be removed f rom of fice u nder
subsectio n (12 ).
(11) Whe re the quest ion of removi ng t he Solicitor-Ge neral from offi ce has bee n refe rre d t o a t ribunal under
subsectio n (10 ), th e Presi dent may su spend th e So licito r-Gen eral from perf orm ing t he functions of hi s office, a nd any
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suc h suspe nsion m ay at any time be re voke d by the Presi dent, and s hall in any case ceas e to ha ve e ffe ct if the tribunal
reco mm ends to th e Presid ent that th e So licitor-Gen eral sh all no t b e rem oved fro m office.
(12) The S olicitor-Ge neral shall be rem ove d from offi ce by the P resi dent if the quest ion of hi s rem oval from offi ce
has bee n re fer red t o a t ribunal ap poi nted under subs ect ion (10) and t he tribunal has rec ommended to the Presi dent
that h e ou gh t to be rem oved fro m office of i nability to disch arge the fun ctions of his office as stated in subsectio n (9 )
or fo r m isbehaviou r.
Director of P ublic Prosecu tions. 66 . (1) T here shall be a Di rect or of Public Pr osec utions whose office s hall be a public office.
(2) T he Di rect or of Public Pr osec utions shall be a ppointed by the Presi dent on the a dvi ce of the Ju dicial and Le gal
Ser vice C ommissi on a nd s ubject to the ap proval of Pa rliament, an d s hall, be fore a ssum ing the funct ions of his o ffice,
tak e and sub scrib e to th e o ath as set out in the Th ird Sch edule to th is C onstitu tio n.
(3) A person sh all no t b e qualified to ho ld or act in th e offi ce of Director of Public Prose cutio ns u nless h e is qu alified
for ap po intm ent as a Ju stice of the C ourt of Appeal.
(4) S ubject to subs ect ion (3) of sect ion 64 , the Di rect or of Publ ic Prosecut ions shall ha ve po we r in any case i n which
he c onsiders is desi rable s o to do —
a. to institute a nd unde rtake cri minal proceedi ngs a gainst a ny person before any c ourt in respect of a ny
offence s against the laws of Sierra Le one;
b. to tak e ov er and co ntinu e an y such crim inal p roceed ing s that may h ave been institu ted by an y o ther p erso n
or au thority; an d
c. to discon tin ue at an y stag e b efore judg em ent is d eliv ered any su ch crim inal p roceed ing s institu ted or
un dertake n by hi mself or any ot her pers on or aut hority.
(5) Th e po wers of th e D irect or of Pu blic Pro secu tio ns under subsectio n (4 ) may b e ex ercised by him in per son or
through other pers ons act ing un der a nd in ac cor dance wi th his gene ral or speci al instructions .
(6) Th e Direct or of Pub lic Pro secu tio ns sh all in all m atters in clu ding his po wers un der this Co nstitu tion or an y other
law be subject to the general or speci al direc tion of the Attorney-Ge neral a nd Minister of Justice.
(7) T he powe rs co nfe rre d upon the Atto rney-Gene ral a nd Minister of J ustic e by th is section sh all b e vested in h im to
the excl usi on of any ot her person or authority:
Prov ided th at wh ere an y other person or au thority h as institu ted crimin al p roceed ing s, no thing in th is sectio n sh all
prevent th e with draw al of those pr oceed ings by or at the i nstance of t hat person or au tho rity at an y stag e b efore th e
person ag ain st who m th e pro ceed ing s have been institu ted has b een ch arg ed before th e cou rt.
(8) In the e xerc ise of the powe rs c onferred up on hi m by this sectio n, the Atto rney-Gen eral and Minister of Justice
shal l not be s ubject to the direct ion or co ntrol of any other pers on or aut hori ty.
(9) For the purpos es of t his se ction, a ny a ppeal from any det erm ination in a ny crim inal proceedi ngs before a ny court,
or any case stated or question of law reserv ed for th e pur poses of an y su ch pr oceed ing s, to an y o ther cou rt sh all b e
deem ed to be part of those proceedings.
(10 ) Su bject to th e prov isio ns of th is section , a p erson ho lding th e office of Direct or of Pub lic Pro secu tion s sh all
vacate his offic e when he attain s the a ge of sixty-five years.
(11) If the office o f Directo r of Pu blic Prosecutions is vaca nt or the hol der of that office is for any reas on una ble to
per form the fu nct ions thereof, a pers on qual ified for a ppoi ntment to that office m ay be ap poi nted t o act therei n, a nd
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any p erso n so appo inted sh all, subj ect to th e prov isio ns of subsectio n (1 0) and su bsections (1 2) to (15 ) in clu sive,
continu e to act until a person has been ap po inted to an d has assu med th e function s of th e office of Directo r of Pu blic
Prosecu tion s or until th e perso n ho lding th e office h as resumed th ose fun ctio ns.
(12 ) Th e Directo r of Pu blic Pro secu tio ns m ay b e rem oved fro m office on ly for in ability to disch arge th e fu nction s of
his office ( whether a rising f rom infirm ity of mind o r body or any ot her ca use) or for m isbehavi our and s hall not be so
rem oved e xcept in accordance with t he provisions of t his se ction.
(13) If the Judi cial and Legal Ser vice C ommissi on represe nts to the Pre sident that the que stion of rem ovi ng the
Di rect or of Public Pr osec utions from offi ce un der subs ect ion (12) ought to be i nvest igated t hen—
a. the Presid ent, actin g in con sultatio n with th e Judicial an d Leg al Serv ice C ommiss ion, shall ap po int a
trib un al wh ich shall con sist of a Ch airm an and two other m embers, all o f wh om sh all b e person s wh o ho ld,
have hel d, or are qual ified t o hol d office as a Just ice of the Su prem e C ourt; and
b. the tribun al shall en qu ire i nto th e m atter an d rep ort on the facts th ereo f and th e fi ndings th ereon to th e
Preside nt and recommend t o the Presid ent whether the Di rector of Publ ic Pro secut ions ought to be rem ove d
from offi ce un der su bsect ion (15).
(14) Whe re the quest ion of removi ng t he Di rect or of Publ ic Pro secut ions from offi ce has been re fer red to a t ribunal
un der subs ect ion (10), the Presi dent m ay suspe nd the Di rector of Publ ic Pro secut ions from perf orm ing the funct ions
of his office, a nd any suc h suspe nsion m ay at any tim e be revoked by t he Presi dent, and shall in any ca se cease to
have effect if t he tri bunal rec ommends t o the Presi dent t hat th e Di rector of Pu blic Pro secu tio ns sh all no t b e rem oved
from office.
(15) The Di rec tor of Publ ic Prosec utions shall be rem oved from offi ce by the Presi dent if the que stion of his rem oval
from office has b een referred to a t ribu nal app ointed un der subsectio n (13 ) and th e tr ibunal h as reco mmen ded to th e
Presid ent th at he ough t to be rem oved fro m office fo r in ability as afo resai d or fo r m isbehaviou r.
Secretary to the President. 67 . (1) T here shall be a Sec retary to t he Presi dent wh o sh all b e ap po inted by th e Presid ent at h is so le discretio n.
(2) Th e fun ction s of th e Secretary to th e Presid ent sh all in clude—
a. actin g as th e prin cip al ad viser to th e Presi dent o n Pu blic Serv ice m atters;
b. the adm inistrat ion a nd m anag ement of the Office of the Pre sident , of whi ch he s hall also be Vot e Controller;
c. the p erform ance of all o ther fu nction s assigned to h im fro m time to time by th e Presid ent.
(3) T he office of Secreta ry to the Pres ident an d th e offices of m embers o f his staff sh all be pu blic offices.
(4) B efore ass uming t he funct ions of his office, the Secret ary to th e Presi dent sh all tak e an d sub scrib e to th e oath as
set ou t in the Th ird Sch edule to th is Con stitu tio n.
Secretary to the Cab inet. 68 . (1) T here shall be a Sec retary to t he Ca binet who s hall be the Head of t he Civil Se rvic e and whose office shall be
a public office.
(2) T he Secret ary to t he Ca binet s hall be a ppoi nted by the Presid ent in con sultation with th e Pub lic Serv ice
Co mmis sion.
(3) Th e fun ction s of th e Secretary to th e Cabin et sh all in clud e—
a. havi ng cha rge of the C abinet Secret ari at;
b. respon sib ility fo r arrang ing the bu sin ess for, and k eeping the min utes of, the Cab inet, and for co nv eying th e
decisions of the Cabinet t o the appr opriate person or a uthority, in accord ance with s uch instructions as may
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be given t o hi m by the Presi dent ;
c. co-ordinating an d sup ervising the work of all administrativ e h eads of m inistries and departmen ts in th e
Public Service;
d. such other functio ns as th e Presid ent m ay fro m time to time d eterm ine.
(4) T he Secret ary to t he Ca binet s hall no t as sum e the d uties o f his o ffice unl ess he ha s taken an d subsc ribed to the
oath as set out in th e Th ird Sch edu le to th is Co nstitu tion .
Secretary to the Vi ce- President. 69 . (1) T here shall be a Sec retary to t he Vice-Pres ident whose office s hall be a public offi ce.
(2) T he Secret ary to t he Vice-Presi dent sh all b e ap po inted by th e Presi dent in con sultati on with th e Pub lic Serv ice
Commissi on a nd sh all, be fore assum ing t he funct ions of his o ffice, take a nd su bsc ribe to the oat h as set out in the
Th ird Sch edule to th is Con stitu tio n.
Pow er of a ppointm ent vested in the presiden t. 70 . The Presi dent m ay appoi nt, in accordance with t he provisio ns of this Constitution or any othe r law the following
pers ons—
a. the Ch ief Ju stice;
b. any J ustice of t he Suprem e Co urt, Court o f Appeal, or Judg e o f the H igh Co urt;
c. the Aud ito r-Gen eral;
d. the s ole Commissi one r or t he Chairm an an d other M embers o f any Commissi on est ablished by this
Co nstitu tion ;
e. the Ch air man an d o ther Memb ers of the gover ning bod y of any corp oration estab lish ed by an Act of
Parl iament, a st atutory instrument, o r out of publ ic funds, subject to the ap proval of Pa rliament.
Powe r of Ap pointm ent Ves ted in the Presiden t. 71 . No twith stan ding the prov isions of section 152 of this Constitu tion and sav e as otherwise p rov ided in th is
Co nstitu tion , the Presid ent shall, in acco rdance with the prov ision s of th is Co nstitu tion or an y other law, app oint—
a. to an y office t o wh ich sectio n 141 (wh ich rel ates to th e offi ces with in th e ju risd ictio n of t he Jud icial an d
Legal Se rvi ce Commissi on) a ppl ies;
b. to an y office t o wh ich sectio ns 15 3 an d 154 , wh ich relate to certain offices abro ad and th e offices of
Perm anent Sec retaries re spect ively, apply;
c. the Gov erno r an d th e other m embers of th e governing body o f an y State Ban k, Bank ing or Fi nancial
Institu tion s.
Offic e of Pa ramount Chief. 72 . (1) Th e institu tio n of C hieftain cy as estab lish ed by cu stomary law and u sage and its non-abo litio n by leg islatio n
is here by gua ranteed a nd pres erve d.
(2) Withou t derog ating fro m the generality of th e prov isions of su bsectio n (1 ), no prov isio n of law in so far as it
provides for t he abolition of the offi ce of Param ount Chie f as existing by custom ary law and usage im mediately
before th e en try in to force of this Con stitu tion , sh all have ef fect un less it is in clud ed in an Act of Parliamen t and the
prov isio ns of Sectio n 108 shall ap ply in relatio n to the Bill fo r su ch an Act as th ey ap ply i n relatio n to the Bill fo r an
Act of Parliamen t th at alters an y of t he provisio ns of t his Constitu tion that are referred to in sub sectio n (3 ) of th at
sect ion.
(3) Not hing c ontained in or done under the a uthori ty of any law sh all b e held to be inconsisten t with , or in
contrav ention of, th e prov ision s of sub section (1) to th e ex tent th at t he law in questio n m akes prov ision fo r th e
determ ination, in accordance with a ppropriate cust om ary la w a nd us age , of the validity of the nom ination, election,
uns eating or replacem ent of a ny Pa ram ount Chief, or the qu estion of restraining in any way the e xercise of a ny
rights, dut ies, pri vileges or funct ions conferred up on, or enjoyed by him, by vi rtue of his office o r the installation o r
deposition of a pe rson a s a Param ount Chie f.
(4) A Pa ram ount Chief m ay be rem oved from offi ce by the Presi dent for a ny gross m iscond uct in the pe rform ance o f
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the f unct ions of his o ffice i f after a publ ic inqui ry co nduct ed un der the Chairm anshi p of a Ju dge of t he Hi gh Court or
a Justice of Appeal or a Justice of the Supreme C ourt , the Commissi on o f Inquiry m akes an a dverse finding a gainst
the Pa ram ount Chief, a nd t he Presi dent is of the o pinion that it is in the public interest that the Pa ram ount Chief
sho uld be rem ove d.
(5) Sub ject t o the prov isio ns of th is C onstitu tio n and in fu rtheran ce of th e prov isio ns of this section , Parlia ment sh all
mak e laws for the qu alification s, electio n, powers, fun ction s, rem oval an d other m atters co nn ected wit h the
Ch ieftain cy.
CHAPT ER VI – THE LEGISL ATUR E
PART I – C OMPOS ITI ON OF PARL IAM ENT Esta blis hment of Parlia ment. 73 . (1) T here shall be a legisl ature of Sierra Leone whic h shall b e kn own as Parliam ent, an d sh all con sist o f th e
Preside nt, t he Spea ker and M embers of Parli ament.
(2) Sub ject t o the prov isio ns of th is C onstitu tio n, th e leg islativ e power of Si erra Leon e is vested in Parliamen t.
(3) Pa rliam ent may make laws for t he peace, secur ity, orde r and good gove rnm ent of Sierra Leone.
Members of Pa rliament. 74 . (1) Mem bers of Parliam ent sh all co mprise th e following—
a. one Mem ber of Parlia ment for each District who sh all, sub ject to th e prov isions of t his C onstitu tion , be
elect ed i n such m anner as m ay be presc ribed by or under a ny law f rom am on g t he pers ons who, un der a ny
law, a re f or the time bei ng Par amount Chiefs; an d
b. such number of Mem bers as Parliam ent may p rescrib e who , subj ect to the prov ision s of th is Con stitu tio n,
shall be elected in s uch m anner as m ay be p rescri bed by or un der a ny law.
(2) T he num ber of Mem bers of Parliam ent to be elected pur suant to p aragraph s (a) and (b) of su bsection (1) sh all no t
together be less th an six ty.
(3) In any elect ion of Mem bers of Pa rliam ent the votes of the el ect ors shal l be given by ballot in such m anne r as not
to di scl ose ho w a ny pa rticular el ect or vot es.
(4) Mem bers of Parlia ment shall b e en titled to su ch salaries , allo wan ces, gratu ities, p ension s and su ch o ther b enefits
as m ay be pres cri bed by Parl iament.
Qua lific ations f or membersh ip in Parlia ment.
75 . Sub ject t o the prov isio ns of section 76, any p erson who—
a. is a citizen of Sierra Leon e (otherwise t han by naturalizatio n); an d
b. has attain ed the ag e of twen ty-on e years; and
c. is an elector whos e nam e is on a register of elector s unde r the Franc hise a nd Electoral Registration Act,
19 61, or un der any Act of Pa rliament am endi ng or repl aci ng that Act ; and
d. is ab le to sp eak and to read the Eng lish Langu age with a degree of profi ciency sufficient to enabl e him to
tak e an activ e part i n th e pro ceed ing s of Parlia ment,
shall b e qu alifi ed for election as su ch a Memb er of Parliamen t:
Prov ided th at a p erson wh o b ecomes a citize n of Sierra Leon e by reg istratio n b y law shall no t b e qu alified for
elect ion as s uch a M ember of Parl iament or of any Local Authori ty unless he shal l have resided co ntinuousl y in
Sierra Leo ne f or twe nty-five years after such registratio n o r shall ha ve se rved in the C ivil or Regular Ar med Ser vices
of Si erra Le on e f or a co ntinuous per iod of twenty-f ive year s.
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Disqua lifications f or membersh ip of Parlia ment.
76 . (1) No p erso n shall b e qu alified fo r electio n as a Mem ber of Parliam ent—
a. if h e is a naturalised citizen of Sierra Leon e or is a citizen of a country other tha n Sierra Leone havi ng
becom e suc h a citizen voluntarily or is under a decla ration of a llegiance to suc h a c ountry; or
b. if h e is a m emb er of an y Commiss ion estab lish ed under th is Con stitu tion , or a m ember of th e Arm ed Fo rces
of the R epu blic, o r a public officer , or a n employ ee of a Publ ic Corporation est ablished by an Act of
Parl iament, or has bee n such a m ember, of ficer or em ploy ee wi thin twelve m ont hs pri or to the dat e on
wh ich he seek s to be elected to Parliam ent; o r
c. if und er an y law in fo rce in Sierra Leon e he is adj udg ed to be a lunat ic or ot herwi se decl ared to be of
uns ound m ind; or
d. if he has bee n con victed and sent ence d for a n offence which i nvolves fraud or di shonest y; or
e. if he is under a sent ence of death i mposed on hi m by any co urt ; or
f. if in t he case of the election of s uch m ember as is refe rre d t o in pa ragra ph (b) of su bsect ion (1) of sect ion 74 ,
he i s for the time bei ng a P aramount Chief un der a ny law; or
g. if bei ng a pers on posses sed of professi onal qual ificat ions, he i s disqual ified (ot herwi se t han at hi s own
requ est) fr om practising his profession in Si erra Leon e by order of a ny c ompetent authority made in res pect
of him pers ona lly within the immediat ely preceding five ye ars of an elec tion hel d in purs uance of secti on
87; or
h. if h e is fo r th e time being the Presid ent, t he Vice- Preside nt, a Minister or a De puty Mini ster under the
prov isio ns of this Con stitu tion .
(2) A person sh all no t b e qualified fo r electio n to Parliam ent if he i s conv icted by any court of any offe nce c onnect ed
with th e electio n of Me mbers of Parlia ment:
Provi ded that i n any s uch cas e the peri od of disqu alification sh all no t ex ceed a period of fiv e years from the d ate of
the ge neral elect ion fol lowi ng the one for which he wa s disqual ified.
(3) An y person wh o is th e ho lder of an y offi ce th e fun ctions of wh ich invo lve resp on sibility fo r, or in co nn ection
wi th, the c onduct of any elect ion t o Pa rliament or the c ompilation o f any register of voters for the pu rpos es o f such
an election sh all n ot be qualified for election to Parlia ment.
(4) A pers on shall not be disqual ified for el ection as a M ember of Pa rliament under pa ragra ph ( b) of subsect ion ( 1)
by reas on onl y that he holds the o ffice of m ember of a Chiefdom Counci l, member of a L ocal Court or member of
any bod y corpo rate estab lished by or un der any of t he fo llowi ng laws, t hat is to say, th e Freetown Mun icip ality Act,
the Ch iefdo m Co un cils Act, th e R ural Area Act, th e Distri ct Co un cils Act, th e Sh erbro Urb an District Co un cil Act,
the Bo Town Coun cil Act, an d th e Town ships Act or an y law am ending or rep lacin g an y of tho se laws.
(5) Sa ve a s otherwi se provided by Pa rliament, a pe rson shall not be disqual ified f rom bei ng a M ember of Parl iament
by reas on only that he holds office as a m ember of a Statutory Corporation.
Tenure of M embers of Parlia ment. 77 . A Mem ber of Parliam ent shall vacate his seat in Pa rliament—
a. on the dissolution of Parliament ne xt fol lowing hi s elect ion; or
b. if h e is elected Sp eak er of Parlia ment; o r
c. if any other ci rcum stances ari se that if he we re not a M ember of Parl iament would ca use hi m to be
disqual ified for elect ion as such un der sect ion 76; or
d. if he ceases t o be a citizen of Sierra Leone; or
e. if h e is absen t fro m sittin gs of Parliam ent fo r such period and in su ch circum stances as may b e prescrib ed in
the ru les of proced ure of Parlia ment; o r
f. if in the case of such a M ember as i s re fer red to in parag raph (b) of subse ction (1) of sec tion 74 , he bec omes
a Par amoun t Ch ief un der an y law ; or
g. if he ceases t o be qualifie d under any la w to be registere d as an elector for election of Me mbers to
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Parliam ent; o r
h. if h e is adju dg ed to b e a lun atic or declared to be of unsound m ind o r se ntenced to deat h; or
i. if he is ad judged or ot her wise decl are d a bankrupt under a ny law an d has not bee n disch arge d; or
j. if he resi gns from offi ce as a Member o f Par liament by wri ting unde r his hand ad dresse d to the Spea ker, or
if the Office of Spea ker is vac ant or t he Spea ker is absent from Sierra Le one, t o the De puty Speake r; or
k. if he ceases t o be a m ember of the political party of which he was a m ember at the time of his election to
Parliam ent an d h e so in form s the Sp eak er, or th e Sp eak er is so inform ed by th e Lead er of that po litical
party; or
l. if b y his co nduct in Parlia ment by sittin g and vo tin g with me mbers of a differen t p arty, the Sp eak er is
satisfied after co nsultatio n wit h th e Lead er of th at Me mber’s pa rty that the Me mber is no longe r a m ember
of th e po litical party under who se sym bol he was elected to Parliam ent; o r
m. if, being elected to Parlia ment as an ind epend ent cand idate, h e joins a political p arty in Parlia ment; o r
n. if he accepts office as Am bassador or Hi gh C ommissioner for Sierra Le one or a ny position with an
Intern ation al or Reg ional Organ izatio n.
(2) Any m ember of Parl iament who has bee n adjudge d t o be a l unat ic, de clared t o be of uns ound m ind, or se ntence d
to deat h or im prisonm ent, may appeal against the decision in acco rdance with a ny law prov ide d that the decision
shall no t h ave effect u ntil the matter has been fin ally determin ed.
Determination o f que stion a s to membersh ip of Parlia ment.
78 . (1) Th e High Cou rt shall have jurisd ictio n to hear an d determ ine an y questio n wh ether—
a. any pe rson ha s bee n val idly elect ed as a M ember of Parl iament; and
b. the seat of a M ember of Parli ament has bec ome vacant.
(2) Th e High Court to wh ich an y qu estion is brou gh t under subsectio n (1 ) shall d eterm ine th e sai d question and give
judgem ent thereon withi n four m onths a fter t he c ommencement of the proceedings before that Court .
(3) An app eal sh all lie to th e Co urt of Ap peal fro m th e dec ision of the High Court on any matter det ermined p ursua nt
to su bsection (1), sav e th at no app eal sh all lie in resp ect of any in ter locutory d ecision s of the H igh Cou rt in su ch
procee dings.
(4) T he C ourt of Appeal be fore whi ch a n appeal is brou ght pursuant to subsect ion ( 3) shall det erm ine the a ppeal and
give judg em ent th ereo n with in fou r m onths after th e ap peal was filed .
(5) T he deci sion of the C ourt of Appeal on any m atter p ursuant to subsect ion (3) shal l be final and not be inquired
into by an y C ourt.
(6) F or the purpos e of t his sec tion Pa rliament m ay make pr ovision, or m ay aut hori se the making of provisions wi th
respect t o the practice and procedure of th e High Court or the C ourt of App eal, an d m ay confer upo n such Courts
suc h po wer s or may aut horise the conferm ent there on of suc h po we rs as may appea r to be necessa ry or d esirabl e fo r
the pur po se of en abling the said Cou rts effectiv ely to ex ercise th e jurisd ictio n conf err ed up on them by th is sectio n or
by an y law relatin g to th e hearin g of ap peals from th e H igh Co urt.
The Speak er. 79 . (1) T he Sp eaker of Pa rliament shal l be elect ed by the Members of Parliament from am ong pe rson s who are
Members of Parliament or are qual ified t o be elect ed as s uch an d wh o a re qualified t o be a ppointed J udge s o f the
Su peri or C ourt of Judi cat ure or ha ve hel d su ch office:
Provi ded t hat a pers on shall be el igible for elect ion a s Speake r of Pa rliament not wi thstandi ng that such pers on is
a Public Office r or a Judge of the Hi gh Court , a J ustice of t he Court of Appeal or a J ustice of the Supreme Court, a nd
such person , if elected , sh all retire fro m th e Pub lic Serv ice on th e day of his electio n with fu ll b enefits.
(2) T he Spea ker shall be elect ed by a resol ution in favour of wh ich there are cast th e vo tes of not less th an two-th ird s
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of th e Mem bers of Parliam ent:
Provi ded t hat if t hree suc cessive resol utions proposi ng the election of a Spea ker fail t o receive t he votes of t wo-
third s of t he M embers of Parli ament, th e Sp eak er sh all be elected by a resolu tio n passed by a sim ple majority of all
the Mem bers of Parlia ment.
(3) No pe rson shall be elected as spea ker—
a. if h e is a m emb er of th e Armed Forces; or
b. if he is a M inister o r a De put y M inister.
(4) T he Spea ker shall vacate his office—
a. if he bec omes a M inister or a Dep uty M inister; or
b. if any circ um stances a rise that , if he were not the S peaker , wo uld di squal ify hi m from elect ion as Speaker;
or
c. whe n Parl iament first m eet s aft er a ny di ssolution; or
d. if he is rem ove d from offi ce by a res olution of Parl iament su ppo rted by the vo tes of no t less th an two-third s
of th e Mem bers of Parliam ent.
(5) No bu siness sh all be tran sacted in Parliamen t (o ther t han an election to the office of Speake r) at a ny tim e if the
office of Spea ker is vacant.
(6) Any person elected to th e office of Sp eaker who is no t a Me mber of Parlia ment sh all bef ore en ter ing upon th e
dut ies of hi s office, t ake an d subs cri be be fore Parl iament th e o ath as set out in th e Th ird Sch edu le in th is
Co nstitu tion .
(7) Th e Sp eak er, or in his ab sen ce th e Depu ty Sp eak er, sh all presi de over al l sittin gs of Parlia ment, ex cep t wh en th e
Presid ent is presen t.
Dep uty Speak er. 80 . (1) T here shall be a De put y Spea ker who sha ll be elected by the Mem bers of Parliam ent.
(2) No pe rson shall be elected as De puty Sp eaker unless he is a Mem ber of Pa rlia ment.
(3) T he Mem bers of Parliam ent s hall elect a pers on to the office of De puty Spea ker—
a. at th e first sittin g of Parliam ent in ev ery sessio n; or
b. at th e first sittin g of Parliam ent after the o ccurren ce of a v acan cy in the office of Depu ty Sp eak er, or so soon
thereafte r as may be c onve nient.
(4) T he De put y Spea ker shall vacate his office—
a. if he ceases t o be a Mem ber of Pa rlia ment; or
b. if he is rem ove d from offi ce by a res olution of Parl iament.
(5) If t he S peaker is ab sent from Si erra Le one or ot her wise u nabl e to per form any of the f unct ions c onferred upon
him by th is Con stitu tio n tho se fu nction s m ay be perfo rmed by th e Dep uty Sp eak er.
Election of Speak er and Dep uty Speak er. 81 . On any reso lution for the electio n or rem oval of a Spea ker or Dep uty Spea ker , the votes of t he M embers of
Parl iament shal l be gi ven by bal lot in suc h manner as not to di scl ose h ow any part icular m ember votes.
Clerk of Pa rliament. 82 . (1) T here shall be a Clerk of Parl iament wh o s hall be appo inted by the Presi dent acti ng in con sultatio n with the
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Pu blic Ser vice Commissi on, a nd sh all be res ponsible f or the adm inistrat ion of Parl iament.
(2) T he office of the Clerk of Parl iament and the offices of t he m embers o f hi s st aff shal l be pu blic offices.
Oath to be taken by Members of Pa rliament. 83 . Every M ember of Parl iament shal l, bef ore taking his s eat in Pa rliament, take an d subscri be bef ore Parl iament the
oath as set out in th e Th ird Sch edu le, bu t a Me mber m ay, before tak ing that o ath, tak e part in the electio n of a
Spea ker.

PART II — SU MMONI NG, P RORO GAT ION AN D DI SS OLU TION
Sessio ns of Parliament. 84 . (1) Each sessio n in Parliamen t sh all b e held at su ch pla ce within Sierra Leone a nd s hall commence at suc h tim e
as th e Presi dent may b e Pro clamatio n appo int.
(2) T here shall be a session of Parliam ent at least once in every year, so that a pe riod of t welve m ont hs s hall not
interv ene between th e last sittin g of Parliamen t in on e se ssio n and the first sittin g th ereo f in th e next sessio n:
Pro vided that there shal l be a sessi on of Parl iament not later than twenty-ei ght day s from the hol ding of a ge neral
elect ion of M embers of Parl iament.
(3) T he Presi dent s hall at the begi nni ng of e ach ses sion of Parliam ent presen t to Parliamen t an address on th e state of
the n ation .
Life of Pa rlia ment. 85 . (1) Pa rliament shall stand dissol ved at the ex pirat ion of a pe riod of five years c ommenci ng from the d ate of its
first sittin g after a general electio n.
(2) If t here is in ex isten ce a st ate o f pub lic emerg ency i n acco rdance with sectio n 29 of this Con stitu tion an d th e
Presid ent co nsid ers it no t practi cabl e to hol d elect ions, Parl iament may, by res olution, e xtend the period of five years
mentioned in subs ect ion (1) from time to time but not bey ond a pe riod of six m ont hs at any one time.
Sitt ings o f Parlia ment. 86 . (1) T he Pre sident m ay at any tim e sum mon a m eet ing o f Pa rliament.
(2) No twith stan ding th e prov ision of sub sectio n (1), at least twen ty per ce ntum of all the Me mbers o f Parlia ment may
request a m eeting of Parliam ent and t he Spea ker shall, withi n fourtee n days after the recei pt of t hat re que st, summ on
a meeting of P arliament.
(3) Sub ject t o the prov isio ns of su bsectio n (1) an d of Section s 29 an d 84 of th is C onstitu tio n, sittin gs of Parliam ent in
any sessi on aft er the comm ence ment of that session s hall be held at s uch tim es and on s uch days as Parl iament shall
appo int.
(4) Parliam ent shall sit for a pe riod of not less than one hundred and twent y days in each year.
General Elections. 87 . (1) A general electio n of the Mem bers of Parliam ent shall b e held no t earlier th an thirty d ays an d not later th an
ninet y day s aft er a ny di ssolution of Parliament:
Provi ded t hat nominat ions for suc h elect ions shal l in no case be cl ose d wi thin fourt een day s aft er dissol ution.
(2) If, when Pa rliam ent has been dissol ved, the P reside nt considers t hat owin g to th e ex isten ce of a state of pub lic
emerg ency it wou ld no t be practicab le to ho ld a g eneral electio n with in nin ety d ays after th e d isso lution , the
Presid ent m ay by Pro clam atio n recall th e Parlia ment th at h as b een disso lved an d th e following prov isio ns sh all th en
have effect—
a. the Parlia ment sh all m eet at s uch d ate, no t later th an fo urteen days after th e d ate of th e Procla matio n, as may
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be s pecified therein;
b. the Presid ent sh all, su bject to the pro vision s of sub section (16) of sect ion 29 , ca use t o be introd uce d in
Parliam ent as so on as it m eets , a reso lutio n declarin g th at a state of Public Em ergency exi sts and s ubject as
aforesaid, no oth er bu sin ess sh all b e transacted in Parlia ment un til th at reso lution has been passed or
defeate d;
c. if th e reso lution is passed by Parliam ent wit h th e su ppo rt of th e vo tes of no t less th an two-thirds of the
Members t hereof, a general elect ion s hall be hel d on the last day of the peri od of six m ont hs beginning with
the date of the ori ginal di ssol ution of t he Pa rlia ment whic h has bee n recal led or s uch ea rlier date as the
Presid ent sh all appo int, and the Parliam ent th at h as been recalled sh all be dee med to be the Parliam ent for
the ti me being and m ay meet an d b e kept in sessio n acco rdingly until th e date fix ed for nomin atio n of
candi dat es in that ge neral elect ion, a nd unl ess p revi ousl y dissol ved, shal l then stand dissolved;
d. if th e reso lution is defeated or is p assed with the su ppo rt of th e votes of less th an two -thirds of th e Mem bers
of Parliam ent or has no t been pu t to the vote with in fi ve days after it has been in trodu ced, th e Parliam ent
that has bee n recal led shal l then be a gain dissolved a nd a general elect ion shal l be hel d not later than the
ninetieth day after th e d ate of the Pro clam ation by wh ich the Parliam ent was so recalled or su ch earlier date
as th e Presi dent may b y Pro clamatio n appo int.
(3) Whe n Parl iament is recal led un der this sect ion after ha ving been dissolved—
a. the sessi on of that Pa rliament hel d next be fore that di ssolution; and
b. the sessi on or sessio ns of t hat Parliam ent held between the d ate of its first sittin g and of the n ext disso lutio n
thereafte r,
shal l be deem ed t oget her to form one sessi on .

PART III — PROCED URE OF PARL IAM ENT
Pre siding in Parlia ment. 88 . Th ere sh all presid e at an y sittin g of Parlia ment—
a. the Speake r; or
b. in the a bsence of the Spea ker, the Deputy Speaker; or
c. in the a bsence of the Spea ker and th e De puty Spea ker, s uch Me mber of Parlia ment as may be electe d for
that purpose:
Pro vided that wh en th e Presid ent addresses Parliam ent or attends in person, the Spea ker s hall leave his chair a nd
no ot her pe rson shall presi de du ring such address or attendance.
Quor um in Pa rlia ment. 89 . If ob jecti on is tak en by any Me mber of Par lia ment th at there are present in Pa rlia ment (besi des t he person
presi ding ) less than on e-fourth of all th e Mem bers o f Par liamen t an d th e person presid ing sh all be so sati sfied he
shall th ereupo n adj our n Par liamen t.
Use of E ngli sh in Parlia ment. 90 . The business o f Pa rliament shall be c onduct ed i n the Engl ish La ng uage.
Votin g in Parlia ment. 91 . (1) Ex cep t as otherwise p rovided in this Co nstitu tion , an y qu estion proposed for decisio n in Parliamen t sh all b e
determ ined by a m ajority o f th e votes of th e Me mbers presen t and vo tin g.
(2) Th e person presi ding in Parlia ment may c ast a vo te wh enever necessary to avo id an eq uality of votes bu t sh all no t
vot e in any ot her case; if the perso n presi ding does not exe rcise hi s cast ing vot e the que stion prop ose d for discussi on
in Parlia ment sh all b e deem ed to be rej ected .
(3) T he rul es of proced ure of Parl iament may pr ovide that the vot e of a M ember up on a que stion in which he ha s a
direct pecuniary interest s hall be disallowe d and if a ny s uch prov ision is m ade a Mem ber who se vo te is disallo wed in
accorda nce the rewith shall be deem ed not t o have voted.
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Unqua lified persons sitti ng or voting. 92 . Any person wh o sits or votes in Par liam ent kno wing or having reason able gro und for know ing th at he is no t
entitled to do so sh all b e liab le to a penalty no t ex ceed ing on e thou san d leo nes or su ch other su m as m ay b e
presc ribe d by Parliam ent for each day in which he so sits or votes i n Pa rlia ment, which s hall be rec ove rable by acti on
in th e High Court at t he su it of th e Atto rney -Gene ral a nd Minister of J ustic e.
Comm ittees of Parlia ment. 93 . (1) At the beg inn ing of each sessi on of Parlia ment, bu t in an y case no t later th an twenty -one day s thereaft er, there
shall b e appo inted fro m among its m embers th e following Stan ding Committees, th at is to say—
a. the Leg islativ e Co mmittee ;
b. the Fina nce C ommittee;
c. the Co mm ittee on Appo intm ents an d Pu blic Serv ice;
d. the Fo rei gn Affairs and In ternatio nal Co-o peratio n Co mm ittee;
e. the Pu blic Acco un ts C ommitt ee;
f. the Co mm ittee of Priv ileg es;
g. the Standing Orde rs C ommittee;
h. suc h other Committees of Pa rliament as t he rul es of proced ure of Pa rliament shall pr ovide.
(2) In add itio n to th e C ommitt ees referr ed to in su bsection (1), Parlia ment sh all appo int oth er C ommitte es wh ich
shal l pe rform the funct ions s peci fied i n su bsect ion (3).
(3) In shall be t he duty of any suc h Com mittee as is refe rre d to in sub section (2) to inv estig ate or i nqu ire into th e
activ ities o r admin istratio n of su ch Min istries or Dep artm ents as m ay b e assig ned to it, an d such inv estig atio n or
inqu iry m ay ex ten d to prop osals for leg islatio n.
(4) Not withstandi ng any thing co ntained in subs ect ions (1) and (2), Pa rliament may at any time appoi nt any ot her
Committee t o inve stigate any matter of pu blic im port ance.
(5) Th e co mpositio n of each of th e Co mm itte es appo inted u nde r subsectio ns (1), (2) and (4) shall, as m uch as
possib le, reflect th e stren gth of th e po litical p arties and Ind epend ent Mem bers in Parlia ment.
(6) For the purpos es of effectively pe rform ing its functions, each of the Committees shall have all suc h powe rs, ri ghts
and priv ileg es as are vested in th e High Court at a trial in resp ect of—
a. enf orci ng the attendanc e of witnesses a nd ex am ining t hem on oat h, affirm ation or ot her wise;
b. compellin g th e produ ctio n of documents; and
c. the issue of a commission or reque st to ex amin e witn esses ab road.
Regula tion of Procedure in Pa rlia ment. 94 . (1) Sub ject to th e pro vision s of th is C onstitu tio n, Pa rliamen t may reg ulate its o wn procedure, and may in
part icular m ake, am end an d revo ke Standing Or ders for the o rderly co nd uct of its ow n procee dings.
(2) No twith stan ding an yth ing to th e con trary in th is Con stitu tio n or i n an y other law con tain ed, no decisio n, ord er or
direction of Parlia ment or an y of its Co mm ittees or th e Sp eaker, relating to the ru les of proced ure of Parlia ment, or to
the ap plicat ion or interpret ation of such rul es, o r any act do ne or purport ing t o ha ve bee n do ne by Pa rliament or by
the Speake r under any rules of procedure, shall b e inq uired into by an y cou rt.
(3) Pa rliam ent may act notwit hstanding any vacancy i n its me mbership (including a ny vacancy not filled whe n
Parliam ent first meets after the en try i nto force of th is Constitu tio n or after an y disso lution of Parliam ent) and the
presen ce or particip atio n of any p erson not entitled to be pres ent at or to particip ate in th e proceed ing s of Parliam ent
shall no t inv alid ate tho se proceed ing s.
(4) Pa rliament may, for the purpose of the orderl y and ef fec tive di schar ge of its busines s, m ake pr ovi sion for the
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powers, privileg es and imm unities o f Parliamen t, its Co mm ittees an d th e M embers th ereo f.
Conte mpt of Pa rliament. 95 . Any act or om issi on w hich obst ruct s or impedes Parl iament in the pe rformance of its funct ions, or whi ch
obst ruct s or impede s a ny M ember or officer there of in the discha rge of his d uties o r affront s the dignity of
Parliam ent, o r wh ich tend s eith er d irectly or indirectly to prod uce suc h a resul t shal l be a co ntem pt of P arliament.
Criminal Proceed ings. 96 . Wh ere an act o r omissio n wh ich co nstitu tes con tem pt of Parliam ent is an offen ce und er th e crim inal l aw, t he
exercise by Parlia ment of th e power to pun ish for co ntem pt sh all no t be a bar to th e institutio n of pro ceedin gs und er
the crim inal la w.

PART IV — R ESPO NS IBIL ITIES , PR IV ILEGES AND IMMUNI TIE S
Respons ibilities of Members of Pa rliament. 97 . Th e resp onsib ilities o f th e Mem bers o f Parlia ment sh all in clud e the fo llowing —
a. All m embers o f Parlia ment shall maintain th e d ign ity and image of Parliamen t both during th e sittin gs in
Parliam ent as well as in th eir acts and activ ities o utsid e Parlia ment.
b. All Mem bers of Parlia ment shall reg ard themselv es as re pre sent atives of the pe opl e of Si erra Leo ne a nd
desi st from an y con duct by which t hey see k im pro perl y to en rich them selv es o r alien ate th em selv es from the
peo ple.
Freed om of Speech and Deb ate. 98 . There shall be free dom of speec h, debate and proceedi ngs in Parliam ent and that fre edom shall not be im peache d
or questioned in a ny court or place out of Parlia ment.
Parlia mentary privil ege. 99 . (1) Sub ject to th e pro vision s of th is secti on, but witho ut prejud ice to the g enerality of sectio n 97 , no civ il o r
criminal proce edings shall be instituted against a Mem ber of Parliam ent in a ny court or place out of Pa rlia ment by
reason of an yth ing sai d by him in Par liam ent.
(2) Wh enever in th e op inion of th e p erso n presid ing in Parli ament a state ment m ade by a Me mber is prima fa cie
defam atory of any p erso n, th e p erson presid ing shall refer t he m atter fo r in qu iry t o th e Co mmit tee o f Priv ileg es
wh ich sh all repo rt its find ing s to Parlia ment no t late r th an thirty d ays of th e matter b eing so referred .
(3) Wh ere t he Co mmit tee o f Priv ileg es reports to Parliam ent th at the statement made by the Mem ber is defam atory of
any pe rson , the M ember wh o made t he st atement shal l, wi thin seve n day s of that re port, rende r a n apology at the bar
of Parl iament, the term s of which shal l be a pprove d by the Committee of Pri vileges an d com muni cat ed t o the perso n
wh o has bee n defam ed.
(4) Whe re a M ember re fuses t o ren der an ap olo gy pursua nt to the provi sions of su bsect ion (3), t he S peaker shal l
suspend that M ember for th e du ration of th e sessio n of Parlia ment in wh ich th e d efam atory state ment was m ade an d
a M ember so s uspended s hall lose his Pa rliamentary pri vileges, immuni ties an d rem unera tion whi ch s hall be rest ored
to him if at an y time before the end of th e sessio n he rend ers th e apo log y as r equired under th e pr ov ision s of
subsectio n (3 ).
(5) Any person who m ay have m ade a conte mporane ous re port of the proceedings in Pa rlia ment includi ng a
state ment wh ich has been th e subject of an inq uiry pu rsu ant to th e prov ision s of sub section (2) sh all pub lish th e
apol ogy refe rre d t o in subsect ion (3) or the s uspe nsion or the ap ology re fer red t o in subsec tion (4) wi th the sam e
prom inence as he pu blished t he fi rst rep ort; and if any such pers on fai ls to pu blish that apology he shall not be
protect ed by pr ivilege.
Imm unity from servic e of p rocess a nd a rrest. 10 0. No ci vil or crim inal proc ess issui ng from any court or place out of Pa rlia ment shall be se rve d on or exec uted i n
rel ation t o the Spea ker or a M ember or t he C lerk of Pa rliament while he is on hi s way to attendi ng or ret urning from
any proceedi ngs of Pa rliam ent.
Imm unity from witne ss sum mons. 10 1. (1 ) N eith er th e Sp eaker no r a ny Me mb er of, nor th e Cler k of Par liamen t shall b e com pelled , wh ile atten ding
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Parliam ent, to appea r as a witness i n any court or place out of Parliam ent.
(2) T he ce rtificate of the Spea ker that a Mem ber or th e Clerk is attend ing the proceed ing s of Parlia ment sh all b e
concl usive evi dence of attendance at Pa rliament.
Imm unity from serving as juryman. 10 2. Neithe r the Spea ker nor any Mem ber of, nor t he Clerk of Parlia ment sh all b e req uired to serv e on a ju ry i n an y
court or place out of Parliament.
Imm unity for public ation of proceed ings.
10 3. Su bject to th e prov isio ns of th is C onstitu tio n, no person shall b e und er an y civ il or crimin al liab ilit y in resp ect of
the pub licatio n of—
a. the text or a s ummary of any rep ort, pa pers, minut es, vot es or procee dings of Pa rliament; or
b. a contem poraneous re port of th e procee dings of Pa rliament,
unless it is shown th at th e pub licatio n was effected malic iously or o therwi se in wan t of go od faith .
Privileges of witne sses. 10 4. (1 ) Ev ery person su mm oned to atten d to give ev idence or to pr odu ce an y paper, boo k, recor d or oth er do cument
before Parlia men t sh all b e en titled , in resp ect of his ev idence, or t he productio n of su ch do cument, to the sam e
pri vileges as if he were ap pear ing before a C ourt.
(2) No public officer shall be r equi red to pr oduce bef ore Parlia ment an y do cument if th e Speak er certifies that—
a. the do cument belon gs to a cl ass of documents wh ich will b e inju rious to the pub lic in terest o r prej ud icial to
the secu rity of the St ate to produce; or
b. disclo sure of t he co ntents th ereof will b e injurious to the pu blic interest or p rejud icial to the secu rity of the
State.
(3) Wh ere t here is a doub t as to wh eth er an y do cument as i s referred to in subsectio n (2 ) is in jurious to th e public
interest or pre judicial to the s ecur ity of the State, th e Sp eaker sh all refer t he m atter to th e Sup rem e Co urt to
det erm ine whe ther t he prod uction or the disclosure of the c ont ents of a ny suc h doc um ent woul d be i njurious to the
public in terest or prejud icial to th e secu rity of th e State.
(4) An ans wer by a pers on to a quest ion put by Parliament sh all no t be admissib le in evi dence agai nst him in any
civil or cri minal procee dings out of Parliament, not bei ng pr ocee dings fo r per jury br ou ght under the criminal law.

PART V — E XERCISE OF LEGI SLA TIVE PO WER
Powe r to m ake laws. 10 5. Su bject to th e prov isio ns of th is C onstitu tio n, Parliam ent sh all b e the suprem e leg islativ e au thority for Sierra
Leone.
Mode of E xercising Legisla tive Powe r. 10 6. (1 ) Th e po wer of Parliamen t to m ake laws sh all b e ex ercised by Bills p assed by Parlia ment an d sign ed b y the
Presid ent.
(2) Sub ject t o the prov isio ns of su bsectio n (8), a Bill sh all no t b ecome law unless it h as b een duly passed and sign ed
in accordance with this Const itution.
(3) An Act sign ed b y the Presid ent sh all co me in to op eration on th e date of its pub licatio n in th e Ga zette or su ch
other dat e as m ay be presc ribed therein or in any ot her enact ment.
(4) Wh en a Bill wh ich has b een duly p assed an d is sign ed by the Presid ent in acco rdance with th e pro visio ns of th is
Co nstitu tion it shall b ecome law an d th e Presid ent sh all th ereupo n cau se it to be publish ed in th e Ga zette as law.
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(5) No law m ade by Parlia ment sh all co me into op eration un til it h as been publish ed in the Ga zette , but Parl iament
may p ostpon e the co ming in to op eration of an y such law and m ay make laws with retro activ e effect.
(6) All laws m ade by Parlia men t sh all b e sty led “Acts” , and the words of e nactm ent shall be “E nacted by the
Presid ent and Me mbers o f Parlia ment in th is presen t Parliamen t assem bled.”
(7) Wh ere a Bill h as been p assed by Parlia men t bu t th e Presid ent refu ses to sign it, th e Presid ent sh all with in fou rteen
days of the presen tatio n of t he Bill fo r h is sig nature cau se the unsign ed Bill to be return ed to Parlia ment giving
reason s fo r h is refusal.
(8) Wh ere a Bill is retu rned to Parliam ent pursu ant to su bsectio n (7) an d that Bill is th ereafter passed by th e votes of
not less th an two-th ird s of the Mem bers o f Parliam ent, it sh all i mmediate ly b eco me law and th e Sp eak er sh all
thereu pon cau se it to be pub lish ed in th e Gazette .
(9) No thing in this sectio n or i n section 53 of th is Con stitu tio n shall p revent Parliam ent fro m co nferri ng on an y
pers on or aut hori ty the powe r to m ake st atutory instruments.
Minister may introd uce Bill a nd be sum mone d to Pa rlia ment.
10 7. (1 ) A Minister m ay in trod uce a Bill in Parliam ent an d tak e part, bu t with ou t a vo te, in th e d eliberatio ns of
Parliam ent on that Bill.
(2) A M inister may be sum moned be fore Parl iament or a Committee t hereo f—
a. to give an accou nt of an y m atter falling with in his portfo lio ; or
b. to explain any aspect of G ove rnm ent policy.
Alte ration o f this Const itution. 10 8. (1 ) Su bject to th e prov isions of t his sect ion, Parlia ment m ay alter th is Co nstitu tion .
(2) A Bill for an Act of Parliamen t under th is sectio n sh all n ot be passed by Parliam ent unless—
a. before th e first read ing of th e Bill in Parliamen t th e tex t of the Bill is pu blished in at least two issu es of the
Ga zette :
Pro vided that no t less t han nine days sh all elap se b etween th e first publicatio n of th e Bill in th e Ga zette and t he
second publication; and
b. the Bill is sup ported on th e seco nd and th ird read ings by the vo tes of no t less th an two-th irds of t he
Memb ers of Parliame nt.
(3) A Bill for an Act of Parliamen t en acting a n ew C onstitutio n or altering an y of th e following pro vision s of th is
Co nstitu tion , that is to say—
a. this sectio n
b. Ch apter II I,
c. sectio ns 46 , 56, 72 , 73 , 74( 2), 74 (3), 84(2), 85 , 87 , 10 5, 1 10- 119 , 12 0, 1 21, 12 2, 1 23, 124 , 12 8, 1 29, 131 ,
132, 133 , 13 5, 1 36, 137 , 14 0, 1 51, 156 , 16 7,
shall no t be sub mitted to th e Presid ent for his assen t and shall no t b ecome law unless the Bill, after it has b een passed
by Pa rlia ment and in t he form in whic h it wa s so pas sed, has, in accorda nce with t he provisions of a ny law in that
behal f, bee n subm itted t o and been ap proved at a refe rend um.
(4) Ev ery perso n who is en titled to vo te in th e election s of Me mbers o f Parlia ment shall b e entitled to vo te at a
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referendu m held for th e purposes of sub sectio n (3 ) and no oth er person m ay so vote; and the Bill sh all not b e
rega rde d as having been ap prove d at the ref eren dum unl ess i t was s o ap proved by the votes of not less than one-hal f
of all su ch perso ns an d b y no t less th an two -third s of all th e votes v alid ly cast at th e referen dum:
Provi ded that i n calculating t he total num ber of persons en titled to vote at suc h refe rendum , the nam es of decease d
pers ons, of per son s disqual ified as elect ors , and of per sons du plicat ed i n the regi ster of elect ors a nd so cert ified by
the El ect oral Commissi on, s hall not be t aken into acc ount .
(5) T he c ond uct of any refe ren dum fo r the purposes of subsection (3) of this sect ion shall be un der the ge neral
sup ervision of t he Elect oral Commissi on and the pr ovisions of subsect ions (4 ), ( 5) and (6 ) of sect ion 38 of this
Co nstitu tion shall ap ply in rel atio n to th e ex ercise b y the Electo ral Co mm issio n of its functio ns with resp ect to a
referendu m as th ey app ly in relatio n to th e ex ercise of its fu nction s with resp ect to electio ns of Mem bers of
Parliam ent.
(6) A Bill for an Act of Parliamen t under th is sectio n sh all not be sub mitted to the Presi dent fo r h is sign ature u nless it
is accom panied by a ce rtificate unde r the ha nd of t he Spea ker of Pa rliament (or, if th e Speake r is for a ny reas on
una ble to ex erc ise t he f unct ions of hi s office, the De put y Speake r) that the p rovisions of su bsect ions (3) a nd (4) of
this sectio n hav e been co mplied with , an d e very suc h ce rtifi cate shall be conclu sive for all pu rpo ses and sh all no t b e
inqu ired in an y cou rt.
(7) No Act of Parl iament shal l be deem ed t o am end, ad d t o or re peal or in any way alter any of the provi sions of this
Co nstitu tion un less it do es so in ex press term s.
(8) An y su spensio n, alteration, or rep eal of this Co nstitu tion other th an on the au tho rity of Parliam ent sh all b e
deem ed to be a n act of Treas on.
(9) In this secti on—
a. refe rences to t his Constitution incl ude re ferences t o any law that am ends or re places any of the provisions of
this Con stitu tion ; and
b. referen ces to the alteration of th is Con stitu tio n or of an y C hapter or sectio n of t his Con stitu tio n in clude
refe rences to t he am endm ent, m odification or re -enact ment, with or with out a mendment or m odificatio n, of
any pro vision for th e tim e b eing con tain ed in th is Con stitu tio n or Ch apter or sectio n th ereo f, th e susp ensio n
or re peal of any suc h provi sion, the m aking of di ffere nt provision i n lieu of such provi sion and the a ddition
of new prov isio ns to th is C onstitu tio n or Chapter or section th ereo f, and referen ces t o the alteratio n of any
particu lar p rovisio n of this Constitu tio n sh all be con stru ed lik ewise.
Residua l authority of Parlia ment. 10 9. Su bject to th e prov isio ns of sectio n 105 of th is C onstitu tio n, wh ere on any matter, wh ether arising out of this
Constitution or othe rwise the re is no provision, e xpressed or by necessa ry im plication of t his Constitution whic h
deals with th e matter th at h as arisen , Parlia men t sh all, b y an Act of Parliamen t, not being in con sisten t with an y
prov isio n of t his Co nstitu tion , prov ide fo r that matter to be dealt with .

PART VI — FINA NCE
Author isation for imposition of taxation. 11 0. (1) No taxation s hall be imposed or al tered ot her wise than by or un der the aut hority of an Act of Pa rliament.
(2) Where an Act enacted pur suant to su bsectio n (1) co nfers a po wer on an y p erson or au tho rity to waive or vary a
tax (o therwise than by redu ctio n) im posed by th at Act, t he exerci se o f the po we r of wai ver or va riation i n favour of
any p erson or au tho rity sh all be subj ect to the pr ior appr oval of Pa rliament by res olution passed i n that behal f.
(3) Pa rliament may make pr ovision un der which t he P resi dent or a M inister m ay by or der provi de t hat, on or after the
publicatio n of a Bill (b eing a Bill ap proved by th e Presi dent) t hat it is pro posed to in trod uce in to Parlia ment
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prov iding for t he im positio n or alteratio n of tax atio n, su ch prov isio ns of the Bill as m ay be sp ecified in the ord er
shall, until th e Bill b eco mes law, have th e force of law for su ch p eriod and subj ect to su ch co nd itio ns as m ay b e
prescrib ed by Parliam ent:
Prov ided th at an y such or der sh all, un less sooner re voke d, ce ase to have effect—
a. if th e Bill to wh ich it relates is no t passed with in su ch period fro m th e d ate of its first readin g in Parliam ent
as m ay be pres cri bed by Parl iament; or
b. if, after th e in tro duction of th e Bill to wh ich it re lates, Parliamen t is p rorogu ed or disso lved; or
c. if, after th e p assag e of th e Bill to wh ich it rel ates, the Presi dent refuses h is assen t thereto ; or
d. at the ex pirat ion of a peri od of four m ont hs from the dat e it cam e into ope ration or suc h longer peri od from
that d ate as m ay b e sp ecified i n an y reso lution passe d by Parlia ment after t he Bill to wh ich it relates has
been in trod uced.
(4) Pa rliament may confe r up on any authority est ablished by law f or the purpose of local gove rnment powe r to
impose tax ation with in the area fo r wh ich that au tho rity is estab lish ed an d to alter tax ation so im posed.
(5) Whe re the Ap propriation Act in res pect of a fi nanci al year has not come into force a t the ex pirat ion of six m ont hs
fro m th e co mmen cement o f that fin ancial year, t he operatio n of an y law relatin g to th e co llectio n or reco very of an y
tax upo n an y i ncome or profi ts o r an y du ty o f cu stoms o r ex cise sh all b e su spend ed until that Act co mes in to force:
Provi ded that —
a. in any financi al year i n which Parl iament stands di ssolved at the com mencem ent of that year t he pe riod of
six m ont hs sha ll begi n from the day upon which Parl iament first sits followi ng that dissolution i nstead of
fro m th e co mmen cement o f the fi nancial y ear;
b. the pro vision s of th is sub sectio n shall no t app ly in an y financi al year i n which Parl iament is di ssolved a fter
the laying of esti mates in accorda nce with se ction 112 and before the Appropriation Bill relating t o those
esti mates is p assed by Parliamen t.
Conso lidated Fund. 11 1. (1) T here shall be a Cons olid ated Fund into wh ich , su bject to th e prov isions of t his sectio n, shall be paid—
a. all reve nues or othe r m oneys raised or received for the purpose of, or on be half of, the Gove rnm ent;
b. any ot her m oney s rai sed or recei ved i n trust for or on behal f of t he Go vernment; and
c. all rev enues and m oneys payab le b y or under an y bilateral or m ultila teral ag reem ent.
(2) T he reve nues o r othe r m oney s re fer red to in subs ect ion (1) shall not include reven ues or other m oney s—
a. that are pay able by or under a n Act of Parl iament into some ot her fund es tablished for a speci fic pu rpos e; or
b. that m ay by or unde r a n Act of Pa rlia ment, be retaine d by the depa rtm ent of Gove rnm ent that recei ved them
for the purpose of def raying the e xpe nses of that de part ment.
(3) No m oney s shal l be wi thdraw n from the C ons olidated Fund except—
a. to m eet ex penditu re th at is ch arg ed up on the Fun d by this C onstitu tion or by an Act of Parlia ment; o r
b. whe re the iss ue of those m oneys has bee n authorise d—
i. by an Appropriation Act ; or
ii. by a S uppl em ent ary Est imate app rove d by a resol ution of Parliament pass ed i n that behal f; or
iii. by an Act of Parliament enact ed pu rsuant to the p rovi sions of sect ions 11 2 an d 11 3 of this
Co nstitu tion ; or
iv. by rules or re gulations m ade un der a n Act of Pa rliament in res pect of trust money s pai d into the
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Cons olidated Fund.
(4) No m oney s shal l be wi thdraw n from any pu blic fund , other than the Consol idated Fu nd and the C ontinge nci es
Fu nd , unl ess the issues of those m oney s ha ve bee n authori sed by or unde r the a uthori ty of an Act of Parl iament.
Authorisation of expe nditure from Conso lidated Fund.
11 2. (1 ) Su bject to th e prov isions of sectio n 107 of th is C onstitu tio n, th e Min ister fo r the ti me being resp on sible fo r
finance s hall cause t o be pre pared an d l aid before Pa rliament in eac h financi al year est imates of t he re ven ues an d
expe nditures of Si erra Le one for the ne xt fol lowi ng financi al year.
(2) T he Hea d of the ex penditu re—
a. of th e estim ate s sh all be in clud ed in a Bill to be kn own as an App rop riation Bill wh ich shall b e in trod uced
into Parliam ent to prov ide for the issu e fro m th e Con solidat ed Fund of t he sum s of m oney necessa ry to meet
that exp end iture and th e approp riation of those sum s fo r the pu rpose specified the rein; a nd
b. of th e C onso lidated Fund payments sh all be laid before Parlia ment for t he info rm atio n of th e Mem bers
thereo f.
(3) Whe re, in respect of a ny financi al year , it is found that the am ount of money s app ropriated by the Approp riation
Act for any purpos e is insufficient or that a need has a risen for e xpe nditure for a purpose for which no amount of
money s has been a pprop riated by that Act , a su ppl em ent ary est imate show ing t he s um of money req uired shall be
laid before Parlia ment.
(4) Whe re, in respect of any financia l year, a supplem entary estim ate has be en a pprove d by Parliam ent in accorda nce
with th e pro visio ns of sub sectio n (3), a Sup plementary Appr op riation Bill sh all b e in trodu ced in Parliamen t in th e
fin ancial year next follo wing the fi nancial y ear to wh ich the esti mates relate, prov iding fo r th e app ropriatio n of th e
sum so appr oved for th e pur po ses sp ecif ied in th at esti mate.
(5) Not withstandi ng the provisions of subsec tion (4), t he M inister for the time bei ng res ponsible for finance m ay
cause t o be pre pare d and l aid bef ore Pa rliament est imates o f re venue an d e xpe nditure of Sierra Leo ne for pe riods of
ove r one year.
(6) Parliam ent shall prescri be the pro cedu re fo r th e presen tatio n of App ropriatio n Bills.
With drawal of m one ys from general revenues. 11 3. Whe re it appea rs to the M inister res ponsible fo r fina nce that th e Approp riation Act in resp ect of any fin ancial
year will no t co me in to op eratio n by th e begin ning of th at fin ancial year, he m ay, with the prio r approv al o f
Parliam ent sig nified in that beh alf by a reso lutio n th ereof, authorise t he withdrawal of money s from the C ons olidated
Fu nd for the purposes of m eeting e xpe nditure necessa ry to carry on the servi ces of the Gove rnment in respect of t he
peri od ex piring four m ont hs from the begi nning of the fi nan cial year o r on the com ing i nto ope rat ion of t he Act ,
wh ich ever is earlier.
With drawal of m one ys from general revenues. 11 4. (1) No m oney s shal l be expe nded from the gene ral reven ue of the Repu blic unless—
a. the expe ndit ure is aut horised by a warr ant unde r the hand of the Presi dent; or
b. the exp enditure is ch arg ed by th is Con stitu tio n or an y other law on th e general rev enu es of th e Repu blic; or
c. the expe ndit ure is of m oneys receive d by a departm ent of Gove rnm ent and is m ade under the provisions of
any law which aut hori ses that depa rtment to retain an d e xpend those m one ys fo r def raying t he ex penses of
the de partment.
(2) No warran t sh all be issu ed b y th e Presid ent au thorisin g expe nditure from the ge neral reven ues of the Repu blic
unl ess —
a. the expe ndit ure is neces sary t o ca rry on the services of the Gove rnm ent in res pect of a ny peri od not
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exceedi ng four m onths begi nning with the commen cem ent of a fi nancial y ear during whi ch the
App rop riation Act fo r th at finan cial year is no t in force; or
b. the ex pendi ture has bee n propos ed in a su pplementary est imate to be a pproved by Parl iament; or
c. no pro vision ex ists fo r th e exp end iture an d th e Presid ent con siders th at th ere is su ch an urgent need to inc ur
the exp enditure th at it wou ld not be in the pu blic in terest t o delay th e au thorisatio n of t he exp end iture until
suc h tim e as a supplem entary estim ate can be laid before an d appr ov ed by Par liam ent; o r
d. the exp enditure is in curred on cap ital p rojects con tin uing fro m th e p revious financial y ear until th e
commen cem ent o f th e Ap propriatio n Act for the curren t fin ancial year.
(3) T he Presi dent s hall, imme diately after he has sign ed an y warran t au thorisin g exp end iture fro m th e g eneral
reve nues of the Republ ic, ca use a co py of the war rant to be tran sm itted to the Acco un tan t-Gen eral.
(4) T he issue of warrant s under para gra ph (c ) of s ubsect ion (2), t he invest ment of m oney s form ing part of the general
reve nue of t he Repu blic an d making of advances from such reve nues s hall be s ubject to suc h limitation s an d
cond itio ns as Parlia ment may fro m time to time p rescrib e.
Remune ration o f the President and cer tain othe r offic ers.
11 5. (1) T here shall be pai d to the hol ders of the offices to wh ich th is sectio n app lies su ch salaries and a llowance s as
may be p rescri bed by or un der a ny law.
(2) T he sal aries an d al lowa nces pay able to the hol ders of the offices t o which t his sect ion a ppl ies s hall be a c harge on
the Cons olidat ed Fund.
(3) T he sal ary, pen sions, gratuity and al lowa nces pay able to the ho lder of any office t o wh ich this section ap plies and
his other term s o f se rvi ces sha ll not be al tered t o hi s di sadv ant age a fter hi s ap poi ntment, and for the purpos es of t his
subsectio n in so far as th e term s o f serv ice of an y p erson depend s on the op tio n of that p erson , th e ter ms fo r wh ich he
opt s shal l be t aken to be m ore ad vant ageous to hi m than a ny ot her term s for which he m ight have opt ed.
(4) Th is section ap plies t o th e officers of the Presid ent, Vice-Presi dent, Atto rney-Gene ral and Mini ster of Justice,
Ministers, Deputy Ministers, t he C hief J ustice, a J ustice of t he Suprem e Court, a Justice of Appeal, a J udge of t he
High Court, the Direct or of Pu blic Prosecuti ons , the Chai rman and Member s of t he Electo ral Co mm issio n, th e
Chairm an and Me mbers of t he Public Se rvice Co mmissio n, and th e Aud ito r-Gen eral.
Conti nge ncies Fund. 11 6. (1) Pa rliament may pro vide f or the e stablishm ent of t he C ontinge nci es Fu nd and f or aut hori sing t he M inister
resp onsible for Fi nance, i f he is sat isfied t hat there has ari sen an urgent an d un foresee n need for e xpe nditure f or
whi ch no ot her provision e xists, to m ake ad vance from the Fu nd to m eet that nee d.
(2) Whe re a ny adva nce is m ade in accordance with subsect ion (1), a Supple mentary Estimate shall be presente d a nd
a Supp lem entary Ap pro priatio n b ill sh all b e in tro duced in to Parliam ent as soon as po ssi ble fo r th e pu rpose of
repl aci ng the a mount so ad vanced .
Pub lic debt. 11 7. (1) The publ ic debt of Si erra Leo ne s hall be sec ured on the re venues and asset s of Sierra Le one.
(2) In this secti on re fere nce t o the public deb t of Sier ra Le one include s re ference to the interest on that debt, si nki ng
fund pay ment s in respect of that de bt and the cost s, cha rges an d e xpense s incidental to the m anagem ent of that debt .
Loans. 11 8. (1 ) Parliamen t may b y a reso lution passed in th at behalf and sup ported by th e vo tes of a m ajority of all th e
Me mbers of Parlia ment, au thorise th e Go vernment to en ter into an ag reem ent fo r th e grantin g of a lo an ou t of an y
pu blic fund or pu blic acc ou nt.
(2) An agreement ente red pursua nt to s ubsectio n (1) sh all be laid before Parlia ment an d sh all no t co me in to op eration
unl ess the sam e has bee n approved by a re solution of Pa rliament.
(3) No lo an shall b e raised by th e Gov ernment on behalf of itself o r an y other pub lic in stitu tio n or au thority o therwise
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than by or under th e au thority of an Act of Par lia ment.
(4) An Act of Parliam ent en acted in accord ance with sub sectio n (3) sh all prov ide—
a. that th e term s an d cond itio ns of a lo an sh all be laid before Parliam ent an d sh all not co me in to op eration
unl ess it has be en a pprove d by a res olution of Parl iament; and
b. that any m one ys receive d in respect of t hat l oan s hall be paid into the C onso lidated Fund and form part
thereo f or into so me other Pub lic Fund of Sierra Le one either e xisting or c reated for t he purposes of the
loan.
(5) F or the purpos es of t his se ction, t he e xpressi on “loan” i ncludes a ny m oney s lent or given t o or by the G ove rnment
on co ndition of ret urn or repa ym ent and a ny other form of b orrowing or lendi ng in res pect of which—
a. money s from the C ons olidated Fund or any other P ublic Fund m ay be u sed for pay ment o r re pay ment ; or
b. money s from any fund by whatever nam e cal led est ablished for the purposes o f pay ment o r re pay ment
whet her in whole o r in part and whether direct ly or i ndirec tly may be use d for pay ment or re pay ment .
(6) Th e prov isio ns of sub sectio ns (1 ), (2), (3 ), (4 ) and (5) shall also app ly to an y agr eem ent fo r a lo an enter ed in to by
the G over nment in res pect of the nat ural res ources of Sierra Leone, suc h as mineral , m arine, forest and suc h other
resour ces.
(7) Pa rliament shal l be notified by the a ppropriate M inister or authori ty of all gi fts, donations , gra nts and pledges
made to the St ate of Sierra L eone .
Esta blis hment of off ice and fu nctions o f Audit or-General.
11 9. (1) T here shall be an Auditor-Ge neral for Sierra Le one whos e office shall be a pu blic office, a nd who sh all be
appo inted by the Presid ent after con sultatio n with th e Pu blic Serv ice Commiss ion, and subject t o th e ap pro val of
Parliam ent.
(2) The public accounts of Sie rra Leone and all public offi ces, incl udi ng the Courts, the accounts of the central and
local go vernmen t ad ministratio ns, of the Univ ersities and pu blic institu tio ns of lik e nature, an y statu tory corpo ration ,
com pany or other body or organi sat ion est ablished by an Act of Parl iament or statutory instrument or otherwi se set
up pa rtly or wholly out of Public Fun ds, shall be a udited a nd re po rted on by or on be hal f of the Auditor-Gene ral, and
for that purpos e the Auditor-Gene ral s hall have access to all books, records, returns and othe r doc um ents relating or
relev ant to those accoun ts.
(3) The public accounts of Sie rra Leone and of all othe r persons or a uthorities re ferre d to in subsection (2) shall be
kept in such form as t he A udi tor-Ge neral shall app rove.
(4) T he Audi tor-Gene ral shall, wi thin twelve m ont hs of t he end of the immedi ately prece ding financi al year, s ubm it
his re port t o Pa rlia ment and shall in th at re port dra w attenti on to a ny irregula rities in t he accounts a udited a nd to a ny
other m atter whi ch i n his opi nion ou ght to be brought to the n otice o f Pa rliament.
(5) Parliam ent shall d ebate the rep ort of t he Aud itor-Gen eral an d appo int wh ere necessary in th e pu blic interest a
committee to deal with a ny matters arising therefro m.
(6) In th e ex ercise o f his fu nctions und er t his Co nstitu tion or an y other law, th e Aud itor-Gen eral sh all not be subj ect
to the direct ion or cont rol of any pe rson or authori ty.
(7) Th e prov isio ns of sub sectio n (6 ) shall no t preclud e th e Pr esid ent, acting in acco rdance with th e adv ice of Cab inet,
or Parliam ent fro m requ esting th e Aud itor-Gen eral i n th e pu blic in terest t o au dit at an y particu lar tim e, th e acco unts
of any body or organisat ion as is re fer red to in subsect ion (2).
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(8) T he sala ry and allowa nces payable t o the Auditor-Gene ral, his righ ts in resp ect of le ave of ab sence, retiring ag e
and ot her co nditions of ser vice, s hall not be vari ed to hi s disad vant age aft er his ap pointment .
(9) Th e prov isio ns of sectio n 137 of th is C onstitu tio n, rela tin g to th e rem oval of a Judg e of th e Sup erior Cou rt of
Judicat ure, ot her tha n the C hief J ustice, from office, sh all ap ply to th e Au ditor-Gen eral.
(10 ) Th e Aud ito r-Gen eral sh all retire fro m office on attain ing the a ge of si xty-five years or suc h age a s may be
presc ribed by Parl iament.
(11 ) Th e ad ministrativ e exp enses of th e offi ce of th e Aud ito r-Gen eral in cluding all salari es, allowan ces, gratu ities
and pe nsi ons payable to or in respect of pers ons ser ving in the Au dit Se rvi ce shal l be a c harge upon the Cons olidated
Fund.
(12) The acc ou nts of t he office o f the Auditor-Gene ral shall be a udited a nd re po rted upon by an au ditor a ppointed by
Parliam ent.
(13) Any pers on appointed t o be t he Auditor-Gene ral of Sierra Leo ne sh all, b efore en tering upon th e du ties of his
office, take and su bscri be th e o ath as set out in th e Th ird Sch edu le to th is Co nstitu tion .
(14) Whe neve r the office of t he Auditor- Gen eral is vacan t or th e ho lder of th e office is for any reas on unable t o
per form the funct ions of hi s o ffice, the Presi dent m ay, in co nsultatio n wit h th e Pu blic Serv ice C ommiss ion, appo int a
person to act in th e office an d any p erso n so appo inted sh all, subj ect to th e prov isio ns of the section relatin g to th e
rem oval o f th e Aud itor-Gen eral, con tin ue to act u ntil his app ointment is rev oked by th e Presid ent.
CHAPT ER VII – THE JU DICIARY
PART I – T HE SUPER IOR COURT OF JUDIC ATUR E Esta blis hment of th e Judiciary. 12 0. (1) The J udicial po we r of Si erra Le one shall be vest ed in the Judi ciary of which the C hief Justice s hall be t he
Head.
(2) Th e Jud iciary sh all have jurisd ictio n in all m atters civ il an d crim inal in clu ding m atters relatin g to th is
Co nstitu tion , and such o ther matters in respect o f wh ich Pa rlia ment m ay b y or un der an Act of Parliamen t confer
jurisd iction on th e Judiciary.
(3) In th e ex ercise o f its ju dicial fu nct ions, t he Ju diciary shall be s ubject to onl y this Const itution or any other l aw,
and shall not be su bject to the co ntrol or direction of any other pe rson or authori ty.
(4) T he J udicat ure shal l consist of the Su preme C ourt of Si erra Leo ne, the Court of Appeal and the High Court of
Justice wh ich sh all b e the superio r courts of record of Sierra Leon e and wh ich shall co nstitu te o ne Su perio r Cou rt of
Judi cat ure, an d suc h other inferior an d t radi tional courts as Parl iament may by law e stablish.
(5) T he Su peri or Court of Judicat ure s hall ha ve t he power to commit for c ont em pt to themsel ves an d al l suc h po wer s
as were v ested in a court o f reco rd imm ediately before t he coming in to force of this Constitu tio n.
(6) Sa ve a s m ay be otherwi se ordere d by a C ourt in the interest s of publ ic moral ity, pu blic safet y or public or der, all
procee dings of eve ry Court , including t he a nnouncem ent of the deci sion of the co urt , shall be hel d in pu blic.
(7) Not hing c ontained in subs ection (6) s hall preve nt a c ourt from excludi ng from its proceedings persons, other t han
the p arties th ereto and their co un sel, to su ch an ex tent as t he C ourt m ay consi der necessa ry or ex pedient —
a. in circum stances w here publicity woul d pre judi ce t he interests o f just ice or any interlocutory procee dings;
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or
b. in th e interests of defen ce, public safety, pu blic morality, th e welfare of m inors or th e pro tectio n of th e
pri vate lives of pe rsons conce rned i n the proceedings.
(8) In th e ex ercise o f th e Jud icial p ower con ferred upon th e Judiciary by this Co nstitu tion or an y other law, t he
Su peri or C ourt of Judi cat ure s hall ha ve po we r, i n rel ation t o any m atter with in its jurisd ictio n, to issu e such orders as
may be necess ary to e nsure the e nforcem ent of any judge ment, dec ree or order of the Court.
(9) A J udge of the S upe rior Court of Judicat ure shal l not be liable to any action or sui t for a ny m atter or thing do ne
by hi m in the perform ance o f his judicial functions.
(10 ) Th e Ju dg es of th e Hi gh Court sh all b e entitled to sit as Ju stices of Ap peal, and the Ju stices o f Ap peal sh all be
entitled to sit as Ju stices of the Suprem e Co urt wh enever so requ ested b y the Ch ief Ju stice.
(11) Notwithstandi ng the provisions of the precedi ng subse ctions, any J ustice of Appeal may, on t he reque st of the
Chief J ustice, s it and act as a Judge of the Hi gh Court.
(12 ) Ev ery su ch person , wh ile sittin g an d actin g as a Judg e of th e Hi gh Court, sh all h ave all th e jurisd iction , po wers
and privileges of , but not otherwi se be deem ed to be, a Ju dge of the Hi gh Court.
(13). T he provisions of subsec tions (11) and (12) shall ap ply mu tatis mu tand is to a J ustice of the Suprem e Court
sittin g as a Justice o f App eal.
(14) Neith er the Ch ief Justice nor an y Ju stice of th e Su preme Cou rt or of the C ourt of App eal or a Judg e of th e H igh
Court m ay take any part in the hea ring of a ny appeal from hi s ow n judgement or the judgem ent of a pa nel of judges
of which he wa s a m ember.
(15) No office of Ju dge of the Hi gh Court , Justice o f Ap peal or Ju stice of the S uprem e Cou rt shall be abolished whi le
there i s a subst antive hol der there of.
(16 ) Ev ery C ourt estab lish ed under th is C onstitu tio n sh all deliv er its d eci sio n in writing not later th an three m onths
after the concl usion of the e vidence a nd fina l addresses or a rgum ents of appeal, and fu rnish all parties to th e cau se or
matter d eterm ine with duly au thenticated cop ies of the deci sio n on the date of th e d eliv ery th ereo f.

PART II — THE SUPREME COURT
Compositi on o f the Sup reme C ourt. 12 1. (1) T he Suprem e Court shall consist of—
a. the Ch ief Ju stice;
b. not less than four ot her Just ices of the Supreme C ourt ; and
c. such other Ju stices o f th e Super ior Cou rt of Ju dicatur e or of Sup erior Courts in an y State practisin g a body
of law sim ilar t o Sierra Leon e, no t b eing m ore in number t han the num ber of Jus tices of t he Suprem e Court
sittin g as su ch, as th e Ch ief Ju stice m ay, fo r th e determ ination of an y p articu lar cau se or matter b y writi ng
under his h and , req uest t o sit i n th e Su prem e Co urt fo r su ch period as th e C hief Ju stice m ay sp ecify or until
the requ est is with drawn.
(2) T he Su pre me C ourt shal l, save as otherw ise pr ovided in pa rag raph (a) of su bsect ion (6) of sect ion 28 and sect ion
126 of th is C onstitu tio n, be du ly con stitu ted fo r the despatch of its bu sin ess b y not less than three Ju stices th ereof.
(3) Th e C hief Ju stice sh all presid e at th e sittin gs of t he Sup reme Co urt and in his ab sen ce t he m ost sen ior of th e
Justices of the Sup rem e Co urt as co nstitu ted for th e ti me being shall p reside.

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Jurisdiction of t he Sup reme C ourt. 12 2. (1) T he Suprem e Court shall be the final court of a ppeal in and for Sierra Le one a nd s hall ha ve s uch a ppel late
and o ther ju risd ictio n as m ay be co nferred up on it by th is Co nstitu tion or an y other law:
Pro vided that no twithstand ing an y law t o th e con trary, the Presid ent may refer an y Petitio n in wh ich he has to
give a final dec ision t o the Suprem e C ourt for a judi cial opinion.
(2) T he Su pre me C ourt m ay, while treat ing its ow n pre vious deci sions as norm ally bi nd ing, de part from a previ ous
decision wh en it ap pears righ t so to do ; and all o ther Cou rts shall b e bou nd to fo llow th e decisio n of th e Sup rem e
Co urt on qu est ions of law.
(3) Fo r th e pu rposes th e h eari ng and determ ining an y m atte r wit hin its jurisdictio n and the am endment, execu tion or
the enfo rcem ent of an y judg emen t o r or der mad e on an y su ch m atter, and for th e pur poses of an y other au tho rity,
exp ressl y or by necessa ry implicat ion gi ven to it, the Su preme Co urt shall have all th e powers, au tho rity and
jurisd iction vested in an y C ourt estab lished by th is Con stitu tio n or an y o ther law.
Appeals to the Su preme Court. 12 3. (1) An appeal shall lie from a ju dgem ent, decree or order of the Court of Appeal to the S uprem e C ourt—
a. as of righ t, in an civ il cau se or m atter;
b. as of right, in a ny crim inal cause or m atter in respect of which an app eal has b een brou ght to th e C ourt of
Appeal from a judgem ent, dec ree or orde r of the High Court of J ustice in t he exercise of it s orig inal
jurisd iction ; or
c. with leav e of t he C ourt of Ap peal in an y crimin al cau se or matter, wh ere the C ourt of App eal is satisfied th at
the case i nvo lves a su bstan tial qu estion of l aw or i s of publ ic im port ance.
(2) Not withstandi ng the provisions of subsec tion (1), t he S uprem e C ourt shall ha ve po we r to ent ertain a ny
application for special leave t o appeal i n any cause or m atter, ci vil o r crim inal, to th e Supre me Co urt, an d to grant
suc h leave acc ordingly.
Inte rpretation of t he Const itution. 12 4. (1 ) Th e Su prem e Co urt shall, sav e as oth erwise pro vided in sectio n 1 22 of this Constitu tio n, h ave orig inal
jurisd iction , to the ex clusion of all o ther C ourts—
a. in all m atters relatin g to th e en forcem ent or interp retatio n of an y prov ision of th is C onstitu tio n; and
b. whe re a ny que stion a rises wh ether a n enact ment was m ade i n excess of the po we r c onferre d up on
Parliam ent or an y o ther au thority o r person by law or un der this Con stitu tion .
(2) Whe re a ny que stion relating to a ny m atter or question as is re ferred to in subsection (1) a rises i n any proceedi ngs
in an y C ourt, oth er than th e Su prem e Co urt, that Cou rt sh all stay th e proceed ing s and refer th e qu estion of law
invo lved to th e Sup rem e Co urt for determ inatio n; and the C ourt in wh ich th e questio n arose sh all dispo se of th e case
in accordance with the decisi on of t he Supre me Court.
Supe rvisory Jurisdiction. 12 5. The S upre me C ourt shal l have supe rvi sory jurisdiction ove r al l other Courts in Si erra Leo ne a nd ov er a ny
adjud icatin g auth ority; an d in exercise of its su perv isor y juri sdi ction s hall have power to issue s uch directions, orders
or writs in clud ing writs of habeas c orpus , or ders of certio rari, ma nda mu s an d proh ibition as it m ay consi der
appropriate for the purpose s of enforci ng or s ecuri ng the e nfor cem ent o f its sup erviso ry po wers.
Power of Justices of the Sup reme C ourt in inte rlocutory ma tters.
12 6. A sing le Ju stice of th e Su prem e Co urt actin g in its cri minal j urisd ictio n, an d three Ju stices of t he Suprem e Court
actin g in its civil j urisd iction may ex ercise an y power v ested in th e Supreme Co urt no t invo lving th e decisio n of a
cau se or m atter before th e Su prem e Co urt save th at—
a. in crim inal matters, if an y su ch Ju stices refu ses or grants an applicatio n in the e xercise of any s uch powe r,
any p erso n affected th ereb y shall b e en titled to have th e app licatio n determin ed by the Su prem e Co urt
constitu ted by three Ju stices t hereo f; and
b. in civil m atters any order , direction or deci sion m ade or gi ven by three J ustices i n pursuance of the powers
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conferred by this sectio n m ay b e varied , disch arged or rev ersed by th e Su prem e Co urt con stitu ted by five
Justices the reof.
Enforcem ent of the Const itution. 12 7. (1) A pe rson who al leges that an en act ment or anything co ntained in or do ne unde r the aut hority of that or any
other en actm ent is in con sistent with , or is in contrav ention of a provision of th is C onstitu tio n, m ay at an y ti me bring
an action i n the Suprem e Court for a declarati on to t hat effec t.
(2) T he Su pre me C ourt shal l, for the pu rpos es o f a decl arat ion unde r subsect ion (1), m ake suc h orders a nd gi ve s uch
direct ions as it m ay consi der approp riate f or giving effect to, or en ablin g effect to be given to , t he declaratio n so
mad e.
(3) Any perso n to wh om an o rder or direct ion i s addresse d un der subs ect ion (1) by the S uprem e C ourt shal l duly
obey and ca rry out the term s of the order or direct ion.
(4) Fai lure t o obey or to car ry out the term s o f an order or direct ion m ade o r given un der subs ect ion (1) shall
constitu te a cri me u nder th is Co nstitu tion .

PART III — T HE C OURT OF APPE AL
Compositi on o f the Court of Appe al. 12 8. (1 ) Th e C ourt of Ap peal shall con sist of—
a. The C hief J ustice;
b. not less th an sev en Ju stices of the Cou rt of Ap peal; an d
c. suc h other Justices of the Su perior Court of Judi cat ure as the Ch ief Ju stice may, for the d etermin atio n of an y
particu lar cau se or m atter b y writing under his hand , req uest to sit in the Co urt of Ap peal for su ch period as
the Ch ief Ju stice m ay sp ecify or until th e req uest is withdrawn.
(2) Th e C ourt of Ap peal sh all be du ly con stitu ted by an y three Ju stices t hereo f and wh en so co nstitu ted the m ost
senior of suc h Justices s hall preside.
(3) Sub ject t o the prov isio ns of su bsectio n (1) an d (2 ) of se ctio n 122 of th is Con stitu tio n, the C ourt of App eal sh all b e
boun d b y its ow n pr eviou s decisio ns and all Co urts inf erior to th e Cou rt of Ap peal shall be bo und to fo llo w th e
decision s of the Cou rt of Appeal o n qu estions of law.
(4) Pa rliam ent may create suc h Divisions of the Court of Appeal a s it m ay conside r neces sary—
a. consisting of s uch num ber of Justices as m ay be assi gne d t heret o by the C hief Justice;
b. sitting at such places in Sierra Leone as the Chief Justice may determine; and
c. presi ded ov er by th e m ost sen ior of the Ju stices o f th e C ourt of App eal con stitu tin g th e Co urt.
Jurisdiction of t he Cour t of A ppe al. 12 9. (1) The C ourt of Appeal shal l ha ve jurisdiction t hroug hout Sierra Le one to hea r and det erm ine, su bject to the
prov isio ns of this section an d of th is C onstitu tio n, ap peal s fro m an y jud gemen t, d ecree or order of th e High Court of
Justice or an y Ju stice th ereof an d such o ther ap pellate jurisdictio n as m ay b e con ferred upo n it b y th is Co nstitu tion or
any ot her law.
(2) Sav e as otherwise prov ided in th is Constitu tio n or an y o ther law, an appeal sh all lie as of righ t fro m a j udg em ent,
decree or order of th e Hi gh Co urt of Justice to th e C ourt of App eal in an y cau se or m atter determ ined by th e High
Co urt of Ju stice.
(3) F or the purpos e of hea ring a nd det erm ining a ny appeal with in its jurisd ictio n and the am endment, ex ecu tion or
the enfo rcem ent of an y judg emen t o r or der mad e on an y su ch appeal a nd for t he purpos es of a ny ot her authority
expressly or by necessary im plicatio n given to th e Cou rt of App eal by th is Co nstitu tion or an y other law, th e C ourt of
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App eal sh all hav e all th e powers, au thority an d jurisd ictio n vested in the C ourt fro m wh ich th e App eal is broug ht.
Power of Single Justice of Appeal. 13 0. A sing le Ju stice of th e C ourt of Ap peal may exercise a ny power veste d in the C ourt of Ap peal no t invo lving th e
decision of a ny cause or m atte r before the C ourt of Appeal save t hat—
a. in crim inal matters, if any s uch Justice re fus es or grants an application in th e exercise of any such powe r,
any p erso n affected th ereb y shall b e en titled to have th e app licatio n determin ed by the C ourt of Ap peal as
duly co nstitu ted ; and
b. in civil m atters, any order, direct ion or deci sion m ade or gi ven i n pursua nce of the power con ferred by this
sectio n m ay b e varied , d isch arged or rev ersed by th e C ourt of Ap peal as du ly con stitu ted.

PART IV — T HE HI GH CO URT
Compositi on o f the Court. 13 1. (1 ) Th e Hig h Court of Justice sh all con sist o f—
a. the Ch ief Ju stice;
b. not less than nine Hi gh Court Jud ges; and
c. suc h other Judges of the Su perior Court of Judi cat ure as the C hief Just ice may, for the determ ination of any
particu lar cau se or matter, by writing under h is h and re qu est to sit in the High Court of Justice fo r su ch
period as th e C hief Ju stice m ay sp ecify or until th e requ est i s withd rawn .
(2) Th e High Court of Justice shall b e du ly co nstitu ted as t he case m ay b e—
a. by an y on e Judg e th ereof; or
b. by any one J udge the reof a nd a jury.
(3) T here shall be i n the sai d Hi gh Court such divisions c onsisting of suc h num ber of Judges res pect ively as m ay be
assi gne d t heret o by the C hief Just ice; an d si tting i n such pl aces in Sierra Leone as t he Chi ef Justice m ay determ ine.
Jurisdiction of t he High Court. 13 2. (1 ) Th e Hig h Court of Justice sh all h ave ju risd ictio n in civ il an d crim inal m atters an d su ch other original
appellate an d oth er jurisd ictio n as m ay b e con ferred up on it by th is Con stitu tio n or an y other law.
(2) Th e High Court o f Ju stice sh all have ju risd ictio n to determin e an y m atter relating to ind ustrial and lab our dispu tes
and ad ministrativ e co mplain ts.
(3) Pa rliament shal l, by an Ac t of Parl iament, m ake pr ovisio n fo r th e ex ercise o f th e jurisd ictio n con ferred on th e
High Court of Justice b y the prov isio ns of t he immediately prece ding subsect ion.
(4) F or the purpos es of hea ring a nd det erm ining a n appeal with in its jurisd ictio n and the am endment, ex ecu tion or th e
enforcem ent of any judgem ent or order m ade o n any such appeal , an d for the pu rpose s of any ot her aut hori ty
expressly or by necessary im plicatio n given to th e Hi gh Court of Ju stice b y th is Con stitu tio n or an y other law, t he
High Court of Justice sh all h ave all th e powers, au thority and jurisd iction vested in th e C ourt fro m wh ich th e ap peal
is b rou gh t.
(5) Any Judge of the High Court of Justice may, in accordance with the Rules of C ourt made in that be half, exe rcise
in Cou rt or in Ch am bers all or an y p art of t he ju risd ictio n vested in th e High Cou rt of Ju stice b y th is C onstitu tio n or
any ot her law.
Claims against the Gove rnm ent. 13 3. (1) Whe re a pe rson ha s a claim against the Gove rnm ent, th at claim may be e nforce d as of righ t b y proceed ing s
tak en ag ainst th e Gov ernment for th at pu rpose, wit hou t th e grant of a fia t or th e use of the pro cess known as Petition
of Right .
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(2) Pa rliament shal l, by an Ac t of Parl iament, m ake pr ovisio n fo r th e ex ercise o f jurisd ictio n under th is sectio n.
Supe rvisory jurisdiction of the High Cour t. 13 4. Th e High Co urt of Ju stice sh all have sup ervisory jurisd ictio n ov er all in ferior an d trad itio nal C ourt s in Sierra
Leone a nd any adjudicating auth ority, and in the ex ercise of its su pervisory jurisd iction sh all h ave po wer t o issu e
such direction s, writs and orders, includ ing writs o f habeas cor pus, and o rders of certior ari, manda mu s and
proh ibitio n as it may conside r appropriate for the purpose s of en forcing or secu ring the e nforcem ent of its
superv isor y pow ers.

PART V — AP POINTME NT OF JUDGES, ETC.
Appo intm ent of J udges, etc. 13 5. (1) T he President s hall, a cting on the advice of t he Judi cial and Legal Ser vice C ommissi on a nd s ubject to the
app roval of Pa rliament, ap poi nt the C hief Ju stice by wa rra nt un der his ha nd from am ong pers ons qu alified t o hold
office as J ustic e of the Supre me Court.
(2) T he other Judges of the Supe rior Court of Ju dicat ure s hall be a ppoi nted by the Presi dent by war rant un der his
hand acting on the advice of the J udicial and Legal Serv ice Commission a nd subject to the approval of Parlia ment.
(3) A person sh all no t b e qualified fo r appo intm ent as a Ju dge of the S uperior Court of Judi cat ure, unless he is
entitled to practise as Cou nsel in a C ourt havin g un limited ju risd ictio n in civ il an d crim inal matters in Si erra Leon e
or any other c ount ry ha ving a system of l aw anal ogous to that of Si erra Le one an d a pproved by the J udicial and
Leg al Serv ice Co mmissio n, an d h as been entitled as su ch Coun sel i n th e case of ap po intment to —
a. the Suprem e Court, for no t less th an twen ty years;
b. the Court of Appeal , for not l ess tha n fifteen years;
c. the Hi gh Cou rt of Ju stice, for not less th an ten years.
(4) Fo r th e pu rposes of sub sectio n (3), a p erso n sh all b e reg arded as en titled to practise as Cou nsel if he has b een
cal led, e nrolled or ot her wise adm itted as s uch a nd ha s not sub sequently been disba rre d or rem ove d from the R oll of
Co un sel or Leg al Practitio ners.
(5) Fo r th e pu rposes of this sectio n, a p erso n shall no t be regard ed as no t being en titled to practise in a cou rt by
reaso n only that he is precl uded from doi ng so by virtue of hi s hol ding or act ing in any office.
Judicial vacan cies. 13 6. (1) Whe re the office of t he C hief J ustice is vaca nt or i f th e Ch ief Justice is for an y reason unable to perform th e
funct ions of hi s o ffice, then—
a. until a person has been ap po inted to an d has assu med th e function s of th at o ffice; or
b. until th e person holding th at office h as resumed th e fun ctio ns of t hat offi ce, as t he case may b e,
those funct ions shal l be per formed by the m ost seni or for the time bei ng of the J ustices of the S uprem e C ourt.
(2) Whe re the office of a Judge of the High Court is vacan t or for a ny reas on a J udge thereof is una ble to pe rform the
funct ions of hi s o ffice or if the C hief Just ice advi ses the Pre sident t hat the state or bu sin ess in the High Co urt of
Justice so requires, th e Presiden t m ay, actin g in acco rdance with the advice of the Judicial and Le gal Se rvice
Commissi on, a ppoint a pe rson wh o has hel d office as , or a pers on qual ified for a ppointment as, a J udge of the
Superi or C ourt of J udicature t o act as a J udge of the Hi gh Co urt of Ju stice, no twithst anding t he fact that he has
alread y attain ed th e retiri ng ag e p rescr ibed by sectio n 13 7.
(3) Any perso n ap poi nted under the provisions of su bsect ion (2) of this se ction t o act as a Ju dge of t he Hi gh Court of
Justice sh all con tin ue to act for th e p eriod of his ap po intm ent o r if no su ch period is sp ecified un til h is app ointment is
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revoked by t he Presi dent, acting in acc orda nce with t he a dvice of the J udicial and Legal Service Commis sion.
(4) Whe re the office of a Justice of the Su prem e Court or of the Court of Ap peal is vaca nt or for a ny re ason a J ustice
thereo f is un able to perform the fun ction s of his office or if th e C hief Ju stice adv ises th e Presid ent th at th e state of
busi ness i n the Suprem e Court or in the Court of Appeal, as the case m ay be, so requires t he Presi dent m ay, acting i n
accorda nce with the advice of the J udicial and Le gal Se rvic e Commission, appoi nt a pers on who has hel d office as or
a p erson qu alified fo r appo intment as a Ju dge of th e Su perior Court of Judicat ure t o act as a J ustice of t he Suprem e
Co urt or of th e Cou rt of App eal, as th e case may b e, no twit hstand ing the fact th at h e has alread y attain ed th e retiri ng
age presc ribed by sect ion 13 7.
(5) Any perso n ap poi nted under the provisions of su bsect ion (4) of this se ction t o act as a Just ice of the Su prem e
Co urt or of th e Cou rt of App eal sh all con tinue to act for t he period of his ap po intm ent o r if no su ch period is
specified un til his ap po intm ent is revok ed b y th e Presid ent actin g in acco rdan ce with the ad vice of th e Jud icial and
Legal Se rvi ce Commissi on.
(6) Notwith stan ding th e exp iratio n of th e perio d of his appoin tment, or th e revo cation of his app ointment, a Jud ge
app ointed pu rsuant to the provisions of su bsect ion (2) or (4) of t his sect ion, m ay thereaft er c ont inue t o act , for a
peri od not exceedi ng t hree m ont hs, to enable hi m to del iver judgem ent or do any other thing i n rel ation t o
procee dings that were comm enced before him previ ousl y theret o.
Tenure of O ffic e of Judges, etc. 13 7. (1) Subject to the provisions of this sect ion, a J udge of the S upe rior Court of Judicat ure shal l hol d office d uring
go od beha viour.
(2) A person ho lding office as a Ju dg e of the Sup erior Cour t of Jud icatu re—
a. may retire as a Judge at any ti me after attain ing th e ag e of si xty-fiv e years;
b. shall vacate t hat office on attainin g the age of sixty-fi ve ye ars.
(3) Not withsta ndi ng that he has attained the age at whic h he is re qui red by the provisions of this section to vacate his
office, a perso n hol ding the office of a J udge of the Supe rior Court of Judicat ure m ay cont inue in office aft er
attaining t hat age, for a pe riod not excee ding three m ont hs, to enabl e him to del iver judge ment or do any ot her thing
in rel ation t o procee dings that we re c ommenced bef ore hi m previ ousl y thereto.
(4) S ubject to the provisions of this sect ion, a Ju dg e of t he S upe rior Court of Ju dicat ure may be rem oved from offi ce
only for in ability to perfo rm th e fun ction s of his office, wheth er arising fro m in firmity o f body or m ind or for
state ment misconduct, a nd s hall not be s o removed sa ve in accorda nce with the pr ovisions of this section
(5) If t he J udicial and Legal Servi ce C ommissi on re prese nts to the Presi dent that the ques tion of rem ovi ng a J udge of
the S upe rior Court of Judicat ure , other than the C hief Justice, und er sub sectio n (4) ough t to be inv estig ated th en—
a. the Presid ent, actin g in con sultatio n with th e Judicial an d Leg al Serv ice C ommiss ion, shall ap po int a
trib un al wh ich shall con sist of a Ch airm an and two other m embers, all o f wh om sh all b e person s qu alified to
hol d or ha ve held office as a Justice of t he Suprem e Court; and
b. the tribunal ap poi nted unde r para gra ph (a) shall en qui re i nto the m atter and rep ort on the fact s thereof a nd
the fi ndings thereon to th e Presid ent and reco mmen d to th e Presi dent wh eth er the Ju dg e ough t to be
rem oved from of fice u nder su bsect ion ( 7).
(6) Where the questio n of removing a Judge of th e Su perior Cou rt of Ju dicatu re fro m office h as b een ref erred to a
tribunal un der sub sect ion (5), the P resi dent may suspe nd the J udge from per forming t he funct ions of his o ffice, an d
any s uch suspe nsion m ay at any tim e be re voke d by the Pr esident, and s hall in any case cease to have e ffect if the
trib un al reco mmends to th e Presid ent th at t he Judg e sh all no t b e rem oved fro m office.
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(7) A J udge of the S upe rior Court of Judicat ure shal l be removed f rom of fice by the P resident —
a. if the quest ion of hi s rem oval from offi ce has bee n refe rre d t o a t ribunal appoi nted unde r sub sect ion (5) and
the tribunal ha s rec ommende d t o the Presi dent that he ought to be rem oved from offi ce; an d
b. if hi s rem oval has bee n approved by a two-t hirds m ajori ty in Pa rliament.
(8) If t he Presi dent is satisfied on a petitio n presen ted to him in th at beh alf, that th e qu estio n of rem oving th e C hief
Justice ought t o be investigat ed, t hen—
a. the Presid ent sh all, acting in consu ltatio n wi th th e Ca binet, appo int a tribun al wh ich sh all con sist of—
i. three Ju stices of th e Su prem e Co urt, or leg al practitio ners qu alified to be ap po inted as Justices o f
the Suprem e Court; and
ii. two other p erso ns who are n ot Me mbers of Parliam ent or legal practitio ners;
b. the tribun al shall en qu ire i nto th e m atter an d rep ort on the facts th ereo f and th e fi ndings th ereon to th e
Presi dent whet her the C hief Justice o ught to be rem oved from offi ce u nde r sub sect ion (10), an d t he
Presid ent sh all act in acco rdance with the reco mmen dation s of th e tri bun al.
(9) Whe re the que stion of removing the Ch ief Ju stice fr om office has be en refe rre d to a trib unal unde r sub section (8),
the P resi dent may by war rant un der his ha nd suspend t he Chief Justice f rom perf orm ing the funct ions of hi s office,
and any suc h suspensi on m ay at any tim e be revoked by t he Pr esi dent, and shall in any ca se cease to ha ve effect i f the
trib un al reco mmends to th e Presid ent th at t he Ch ief Justice shall no t be rem oved fro m office.
(10) T he Chie f Justice s hall be rem oved from office by t he Presi dent—
a. if the quest ion of hi s rem oval from offi ce has bee n refe rre d t o a t ribunal appoi nted unde r sub sect ion (8) and
the tribunal ha s rec ommende d t o the Presi dent that he ought to be rem oved from offi ce; an d
b. if hi s rem oval has bee n approved by a two-t hirds m ajori ty in Pa rliament.
Remune ration o f Judges, etc. 13 8. (1 ) Th e salaries, allo wances, gratu ities and p ensions of Judg es of th e Sup erior Court of Ju dicature sh all b e a
charge upon t he Co nsol idated Fu nd.
(2) A Ju dg e of the Su perior C ourt of Jud icatu re sh all on ret irin g fro m office as su ch Ju dg e, be en titled to su ch
grat uity and pe nsi on as m ay be det erm ined by Parl iament.
(3) Th e salary, allo wan ces, privileg es, righ t in resp ect of le ave o f absen ce, g ratuity or pensio n and other co nd itio ns o f
servi ce of a J udge of the S uperior Court of Judi cat ure s hall not be varied t o his disad vant age.
(4) A Judge of the Supe rior Court of Ju dicat ure shal l not while he continues in of fice, h old any ot her of fice of pr ofi t
or em olument , whet her by wa y of allowa nce s or otherwi se, whet her private o r pu blic, and ei ther direct ly or
indirectly.
Oath of O ffic e of Jud ges. 13 9. A Ju dge of the Supe rior Court of Judicat ure s hall, bef ore ass uming t he funct ions of hi s office, t ake an d
subscri be before—
a. the Presid ent, i n th e case of the Ch ief Justice and J ustices of the Suprem e Court; and
b. the Chief J ustice, in t he case of any othe r Judge ,
th e Jud icial Oath as set ou t in th e Th ird Sch edu le to th is Co nstitu tion .

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PART VI – JUDICI AL AND LEG AL SERV ICE COM MISSIO N Judicial and Leg al Service Co mm ission. 14 0. (1) T here shall be establi shed a J udicial and Le gal Se rvice Co mmissio n wh ich sh all ad vise th e C hief Ju stice in
the p erform ance of his ad ministrativ e fun ction s and perform such other functio ns as pro vided in this Constitu tio n or
by any other law, a nd whi ch s hall co nsi st of—
a. the Ch ief Ju stice, who sh all be th e C hairm an;
b. the m ost Sen ior Ju stice of th e Co urt of Ap peal;
c. the So licito r-Gen eral;
d. one practicin g Co un sel of no t less th an ten years sta ndi ng nominated by the Si erra Le one Bar As soci ation
and appo inted by th e Presi dent;
e. the Chairm an of the Public Service C ommis sion; a nd
f. two other p erso ns, not being leg al practitio ners, to be appo inted by th e Presid ent, subj ect to th e app rov al of
Parliam ent.
(2) T he C hief J ustice shall, acting i n acc orda nce with th e advice o f the J udi cial and Legal Ser vice C ommissi on a nd
sav e as o therwise p rov ided in th is Con stitu tio n, be respon sible fo r th e effectiv e and effici ent ad ministratio n of th e
Judiciary.
(3) T he fol lowing provi sions shall ap ply in relation t o a m ember of t he J udicial an d Le gal Ser vice C ommissi on wh o
is ap poi nted pursua nt to pa ragraphs (d) a nd (f) of subse ction (1)—
a. subject t o the provisions of thi s su bsection, s uch m ember shall vacate offi ce at the e xpiration of three ye ars
fro m th e d ate of his appo intmen t;
b. any su ch m emb er m ay b e rem oved fro m office b y the Presid ent for i nability to disch arge th e fun ction s of his
office ( whet her ari sing from infi rm ity of m ind or body or any ot her cause ) or for m iscond uct ; an d
c. suc h m ember shal l not be rem ove d from offi ce exce pt in acco rdance with the pro vision s of th is sub sectio n.
(4) A m ember of the J udicial and Le gal Ser vice C ommissi on s hall, bef ore assum ing t he funct ions of his office, t ake
and su bscrib e before th e Presid ent th e oath as se t ou t in th e Th ird Sch edule to th is Con stitu tio n.
Appo intm ent of J udicial and Leg al Officers, etc. 14 1. (1 ) Th e po wer t o ap po int p erson s to hold or act in an office to wh ich t his section ap plies (in clud ing the power to
make ap poi ntments o n prom otion an d t rans fer from one office t o another and to confi rm app ointment s) and to
dism iss and e xerci se di sci plinary co ntrol over pers ons hol ding or act ing i n suc h office sha ll vest in the J udicial an d
Legal Se rvi ce Commissi on;
Prov ided th at t he C ommissio n m ay, with the app rov al of t he Presid ent and su bject t o such co nd ition s as it m ay th ink
fit, d eleg ate any o f its po wers un der this sect ion, by direction in writin g, to an y of its m embers, or to any Ju dg e of th e
High Court, o r to the ho lder o f any o ffice to wh ich this sectio n app lies, or, in th e case of a po wer relating to an office
connected wit h the C ourt of Appeal or th e Sup rem e Co urt, t o an y Ju stice of either of t hos e Courts.
(2) Th is section ap plies t o th e offices of Admin istrato r an d Registrar-General, Registrar and De puty Registrar of the
Su prem e C ourt, Registrar a nd Dep uty Registrar of t he C ourt of Appeal , M aster an d R egistrar of the Hi gh Court ,
Dep uty M aster an d R egistrar of the Hi gh Court , any Registrar of the Hi gh Court , De put y Administrat or and
Registrar -Ge neral , any Pri ncipal M agistrat e, Seni or M agistrate, Mag istrate, Und er Sheriff, First Parliam entary
Counsel , Seco nd Pa rliamentary Couns el, Principal State C ouns el, Customary La w Office r, Seni or State Counsel,
Sen ior Par liamen tary Coun sel , Resear ch Coun sel, Par lia mentary Coun sel, State Co un sel, Assistant C ustom ary Law
Of ficer a nd s uch other officers as m ay be prescri bed by Pa rliament.
Appo intm ent of C ourt officers. 14 2. (1 ) Th e ap po intm ent o f officers and serv ants of th e C ourts of Sierra Leone s hall, s ubject t o the provisions of
sectio n 14 1 of this Con stitu tion , be m ade by the C hief Ju stice or su ch o ther Jud ge or officer of the C ourt as th e C hief
Justice m ay d irect, actin g in co nsultatio n wit h th e Ju dicial an d Leg al Serv ice Co mmissio n.
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(2) Th e Jud icial an d Leg al Serv ice Co mm issi on m ay, actin g in co nsu ltation with th e Pu blic Serv ice Commiss ion an d
with th e prior ap pro val of th e Presid ent, m ake reg ulations by statutory instrum ent pre scri bing t he term s and
cond itio ns of serv ice of officers an d o ther em ployees o f the Cou rts and of th e Jud icial and th e Leg al Serv ices
estab lish ed b y this Con stitu tion or an y other law.
Fees of Co urt, etc. 14 3. Any fees, fines or other money s taken by the C ourt s shall form part of the C onsolidated Fu nd.
Official document. 14 4. (1) Whe never in a ny proceedings i n a C ourt, othe r than the Suprem e Co urt, a ny que stion a rises as to the
disco very of an official do cument, an d a ny pers on or aut hori ty ha ving custody legal or otherwi se of any su ch
document refuses, upon request, to prod uce that do cument, on th e gro und—
a. that the docum ent bel ongs to a cla ss o f documents w hich i t is pre judi cial to th e secu rity of th e State or
injurious to the pu blic in terest to prod uce, or
b. that th e disclo sure of th e con tents th ereof will b e prej udicial to th e security o f th e State or inju riou s to the
public in terest,
the Cou rt shall stay th e pro ceed ing s and refer th e questio n to th e Sup rem e Co urt fo r d etermin atio n.
(2) T he Su pre me C ourt m ay, pursuant to the p rovisions of su bsect ion (1)—
a. order an y perso n or au tho rity h aving cu stody, leg al or otherw ise, of t he do cument to prod uce it; and any
pers on so ordered shal l produce t he doc um ent for the purpose of inspect ion by the S uprem e C ourt ; and
b. det erm ine whe ther or not any suc h doc um ent shal l be prod uced i n the C ourt from whi ch t he refe rence was
made aft er hea ring t he pa rties theret o or t heir legal rep rese ntatives or a fter havi ng gi ven them the
op portuni ty of bei ng hear d.
(3) Wh ere t he Sup rem e Co urt is of th e op inion th at th e document sh all b e prod uced, it shall make an order upo n th e
pers on or aut hori ty ha ving custody of the docum ent to produce t he sam e or s o m uch of the co ntent s thereof as i s
essent ial for the p rocee dings in acc ordance wi th the term s of the order.
(4) Whe re the que stion of the disc ove ry of an official document arises in any proceedi ngs in t he Supre me Court i n
the ci rcum stances m entioned in subsect ion (1) of this sectio n, th e Su preme Cou rt sh all be go verned, muta tis
mut andis, b y the preced ing prov ision s of th is sectio n fo r the d eterm inatio n of th e qu estio n th at has arisen .
Rules of Co urt Comm ittee. 14 5. (1 ) Th ere shall b e estab lished a R ules of Cou rt C ommit tee wh ich sh all con sist of—
a. the Ch ief Ju stice, who sh all be Ch airm an;
b. the Di recto r of Pub lic Pro secutio ns;
c. a Justice of the Suprem e Court, a J ustice o f Ap peal , and a Jud ge of the Hi gh Court , to be ap poi nted by the
Ch ief Ju stice;
d. the First Parliamen tary Co un sel;
e. a nom inee of t he Atto rney-General a nd Minister of J ustice;
f. two pract icing Counsel of not less t han ten y ears st andi ng both o f whom sh all be n ominat ed a nnually by the
Sierra Leone Bar Association.
(2) Sub ject t o the prov isio ns of th is C onstitu tio n the Rules of Court Co mmi ttee may make Ru les of C ourt for
regu latin g th e practice an d pro cedure of all Co urts in Si erra Leon e, wh ich sh all in clude ru les relating to th e
preventio n of frivo lou s an d vex atio us proceed ing s.

CHAPT ER VIII — THE OM BUD SMAN
Parlia ment to e stablish 14 6. (1 ) Su bject to th e prov isions of t his Constitu tio n, Par liamen t sh all, not later th an twel ve m onths from the
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office of Om budsm an. commen cem ent o f th is C onstitutio n, or so soo n th ereafter as Parliam ent may d eterm ine, b y an Act of Parlia ment
establish the office of Om budsm an.
(2) T he Act of Parl iament shal l defi ne the funct ions and duties of the Om budsm an whi ch shal l include the
invest igation of any act ion taken or om itted t o be taken by or on behal f of—
a. any de partment of M inistry of Gove rnment;
b. any statu tory co rpo ration or in stitu tio ns of hig her learn ing or edu cation , set u p en tirely or partly ou t of
pu blic funds;
c. any m ember of the P ublic Ser vice, bei ng a n act ion t aken or om itted t o be t aken in the e xercise o f the
administrativ e fun ction s of that d epartm ent, min istry, statu tory co rpo ration , institu tio n or p erson .

CHAPT ER IX — COM MISS IO NS OF INQUIRY
Appo intm ent of Commissions of Inquiry.
14 7. (1 ) Sav e as o therwise prov ided in su bsectio n (2), t he Presid ent sh all, by Con stitu tion al in stru ment, app oint a
Co mmissio n of in qu iry i nto any matter o f pu blic in terest wh ere—
a. the Cab inet adv ises th at it is i n th e pub lic in terest so to do ; or
b. Parliam ent by a reso lution passed in th at behalf requ ires that a Co mmissi on be appo inted to inq uire in to an y
matter sp ecified in th e reso lution being a m atter o f pub lic im portan ce.
(2) A C ommission ap pointed pu rsuant to the provisions of subs ect ion (1) may consi st of a sol e Commissi one r or two
or m ore pe rso ns one of whom shal l be a ppointed t he C hairman o f the Commissi on.
(3) No pe rson shal l be ap pointed a s ole Commissi oner or the C hairm an o f a C ommissi on of Inquiry pursuant to the
prov isio ns of this section unless—
a. he is a Judg e of th e Su perior Co urt of Jud icatu re; or
b. he i s a pe rson qual ified t o be app ointed a Judge of the S uperior Court of Judi cat ure; or
c. he i s a pe rson wh o has hel d office as a J udge of the Supe rior Court of Judicat ure; or
d. he i s a pe rson wh o possess sp eci al back ground knowledge in res pect of the m atter form ing the subject-
matter o f the inv estig ation .
(4) S ubject to the provisions of subse ction (3), wh ere a Commissi on of Inqui ry ap pointed pu rsuant to the provisions
of su bsect ion (1) co nsi sts of more t han t wo Commissi oner s ot her t han the Chairm an, at l east one of t hem shall be a
pers on wh o p ossesses speci al qual ificat ions or knowl edge in resp ect of th e m atter form ing th e su bject-matter o f the
investig ation .
Pow ers, rights and privileges of Commissions of Inquiry.
14 8. (1) A Commissi on of Inqui ry shal l hav e suc h powe rs, rights an d privileg es as are vested in th e High Court of
Justice or a Judg e th ereo f at a trial in resp ect of—
a. enf orci ng the attendanc e of witnesses a nd ex am ining t hem on oat h, affirm ation or ot her wise; and
b. compellin g th e produ ctio n of documents; and
c. the issue of a Com mission or re quest to ex amin e witn esses a broad.
(2) A s ole Commissi oner or a M ember of a Commissi on o f Inquiry sh all no t b e liab le to any actio n or su it in resp ect
of any m atter o r thing done by hi m in the per formance of hi s funct ions as s uch Commissione r or M ember.
(3) Sa ve a s m ay be otherwi se ordere d by the Commissi on i n the interest of pu blic safet y or pu blic order, the
procee dings of eve ry Commission of Inquiry shal l be hel d in pu blic.

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Pub lication of re port of Comm ission of Inqu iry and rig ht of appe al.
14 9. (1 ) Th e Co mmissio n of Inqu iry sh all—
a. mak e a fu ll, faith ful and an imp artial inq uiry into an y m atter sp ecified in the co mmissio n of appo intm ent;
b. repo rt i n writing th e resu lt of t he inqu iry; and
c. furn ish in th e rep ost th e reason s lead ing to the co ncl usions arrived at or re ported.
(2) T he Presi dent shall, su bject to the provisions of subsect ion (4), cau se t o be pu blished the re port of a Commissi on
of Inquiry toge ther wi th the Whi te Pa per thereo n wi thin six m ont hs of the dat e of the s ubm issi on o f the re po rt by the
Co mmis sion.
(3) Whe re the r epo rt of a Commissi on o f Inquiry is not to be pu blish ed, the Presi dent shall issu e a statemen t to th at
effect , giving reaso ns wi th the re po rt is not to be pu blished.
(4) Whe re a Commissi on o f Inquiry m akes a n adve rse finding agai nst any pers on, which may resul t in a pe nal ty,
forfeiture or loss of status, t he rep ort of t he C ommissio n of Inqu iry sh all, for th e pu rpo ses of th is C onstitu tio n, be
deem ed to be a judgem ent of the High C ourt of Justice a nd accordingly an appeal s hall lie as of right from the
Co mmissio n to th e C ourt of Ap peal.
Rules re gula ting Commissions of Inquiry.
15 0. Su bject to th e prov isio ns of th is C hapter, th e R ules of Co urt Co mm ittee sh all, bu t C onstitu tion al instru ment,
make r ules re gulating t he pra ctice and proce dure of all Commissi ons of Inquiry.

CHAPT ER X — THE PUBLIC SERVICE
PART I — T HE PUBL IC S ERVICE COM MISSI ON
Esta blis hment of Pu blic Service Co mm ission. 15 1. (1 ) Th ere shall b e a Pub lic Serv ice Co mmissio n wh ich shall con sist of a Ch airm an, no t less th an two an d no t
mo re than four other me mb ers.
(2) T he m embers of the Public Service Com mission s hall be appoi nted by the Preside nt, subject to the approval of
Parliam ent.
(3) A person sh all no t b e qualified to ho ld the office of a me mber o f th e Pub lic Serv ice Co mmissio n if h e is a
Member o f Par liament, a M inister o r a De puty M inister, or i f he hol ds or is act ing i n any pu blic office.
(4) A pers on who ha s hel d office or who has act ed as a m ember of the Publ ic Ser vice C ommissi on s hall not wi thin a
peri od of three years comm encing with t he date o n wh ich he last so held office or acted , be elig ible fo r appo intm ent
to an y office, po wer t o m ake ap po intm ents to wh ich is v ested by th is C onstitu tio n in th e Pu blic Serv ice Co mmissio n.
(5) T he office of a m ember of the Public Service Comm ission , unl ess he sooner re signs or dies, s hall be com e
vacant—
a. at the ex pirat ion of a peri od of five y ears from the dat e of his ap poi ntment o r such sh orter peri od not bei ng
less than three years as m ay be speci fie d at t he tim e of his appointm ent;
b. if any circ um stances a rise that if he were n ot a member of the Commissi on wo uld cau se hi m to be
disqual ified for ap poi ntment as suc h:
Provi ded t hat a m ember of the Public Service Commis sion sh all retire at th at age of si xty-five year s.
(6) A m ember o f th e Pub lic Serv ice C ommis sion m ay b e rem oved by the Presid ent for i nability to disch arge the
funct ions of hi s o ffice (w het her ari sing from infirm ity of m ind or bo dy or from any ot her cause ) or for miscond uct .
(7) Whe never the office of a me mber of the Public Serv ice Commission is vaca nt or a m ember is for a ny reas on
una ble to pe rform the fu nct ions of hi s office, the Presi dent may appoi nt a pers on wh o i s qual ified f or a ppointment as
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a m ember of t he C ommissi on, an d a ny pe rson so appoi nted shal l, subject to the provi sions of para gra ph (b) of
subsectio n (5 ), continu e to act until h is appo intm ent is revok ed b y the Presid ent.
(8) A m ember of the Pu blic Servi ce C ommissi on shal l, before ass uming t he f unct ions of his office, t ake an d
subscri be before th e Presid ent the o ath as set out in Th ird Sch edu le to th is Co nstitu tion .
Appo intm ents e tc. of public officers. 15 2. (1 ) Su bject to th e prov isions of t his Constitu tio n, the po wer t o ap po int p erson s to hold or act in offices in the
pu blic ser vice (incl uding power to m ake app ointment s on prom otion a nd t o confirm app ointm ents) a nd to dism iss
and to exercise di sci plinary cont rol over person s hol ding or acting in such offices sh all vest in th e Pu blic Serv ice
Co mmis sion.
(2) T he Presi dent m ay, subje ct to s uch conditions as he m ay think fit, d eleg ate any of h is fun ction s relatin g to the
mak ing of ap po intm ents, in clu ding power to m ake ap po intments on promotio n and to con firm ap po intments, b y
direction s in writin g to th e Pub lic Serv ice C ommissio n or t o a c ommittee there of or to any member of the
Co mmissio n or to an y pub lic officer .
(3) Before th e Pub lic Serv ice Co mmissio n ap po ints to an y public office any pe rson holding or act ing i n any office,
the power to m ake ap po intm ents to wh ich is not vested in the Pub lic Serv ice Co mmissio n, it sh all con sult th e person
or au thority in who m th at p ower is v ested .
(4) Th e Pub lic Serv ice Co mmissio n sh all, upo n requ est m ade to it b y an y person or au tho rity h aving power to m ake
an ap po intm ent to an office un der this Con stitu tio n or in any o ther public in stitu tio n, m ake reco mmen datio ns to that
pers on or aut hori ty for the a ppoi ntment of a ny public officer or a ny other pers on to any office, t he po we r to m ake
appo intm ent to wh ich is v ested by th e C onstitu tio n or an y o ther law i n th at person , au thority o r pu blic in stitu tio n.
(5) the power to transfer persons holding or act ing i n offices in the pu blic servi ce from one depa rtment of
Go vernm ent to an other shall, whe re s uch transfe r does not involve prom otion , vest in the Pu blic Ser vice
Co mmis sion.
(6) T he provisions of this sect ion shal l not apply in rel ation t o any of the f ollowi ng offices —
a. the office of a ny Justice of t he Supr em e Co urt o r of th e Cour t of Appeal or a J udge of the High C ourt;
b. the office of the Direct or of Publ ic Prosecut ions;
c. the office o f Audito r-Ge neral ;
d. any office t o wh ich sectio n 141 (wh ich relates to offices with in the jurisd ictio n of th e Jud icial an d Leg al
Service Com mission) a pplies;
e. any office t o wh ich sectio n 153 (wh ich relates to the offices of Am bassad ors an d ce rtain offices) a pplies;
f. any office t o wh ich sectio n 154 (wh ich relates to the offices of the Perm anent Sec retaries a nd certain ot her
offices) a pplies; and
g. any office t he remuneration of wh ich is calculated on a daily rate:
Provi ded t hat the powe r of transfe r vest ed i n the Pu blic Ser vice C ommissi on u nder sub sect ion (5) may be
exercise d in the case of persons hol ding any of the offices s pecified in t his subsection where s uch pe rsons e xpress
their co nsent in writing to such tran sfer.
(7) No appo intment sh all b e mad e un der this sectio n to any office on t he pers onal staff of the Presi dent or the Vice-
Presid ent, un less he sign ifies h is p erson al app rov al of th e ap po intm ent.
(8) T he Pu blic Ser vice C ommissi on s hall not di sm iss or i nflict any ot her puni shment on a publ ic officer on grou nds
of any act done or om itted t o be do ne by that officer in the e xerci se of a judicial funct ion c onferred up on him, unl ess
the J udi cial an d Le gal Se rvi ce C ommissi on conc urs therein.
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(9) No m ember of the Pub lic Serv ice sh all be—
a. victim ised or discrim inat ed ag ainst di rect ly or indirect ly for havi ng di schar ged hi s duties faithful ly in
accorda nce with this Constitution, or
b. dism issed or removed f rom of fice o r red uced in ran k or ot herwi se puni shed wi thout just ca use.
(10 ) Th e Pub lic Serv ice Co mmissio n m ay, with th e pr ior ap pro val of th e Presid ent, m ake reg ulation s by
constitu tio nal instru ment fo r th e effectiv e and efficien t perfo rm ance of its fun ction s under th is C onstitu tio n or an y
other law, an d may, with su ch prio r a pprov al and sub ject t o such co nd itio ns as it m ay th ink fit, d eleg ate any of its
po we rs un der this sect ion by direct ions i n writing t o any of its m embers or t o any publ ic officer.
(11 ) Sav e as is otherwise provid ed in th is Con stitu tio n, the Pub lic Serv ice Co mmissio n sh all no t b e su bject to th e
cont rol or di rection of any other pe rson or authori ty in the per formance of its fu nct ions unde r this Const itution or any
other law.
Appo intm ent of t he principal representatives of Sierra Leo ne abroad.
15 3. (1 ) Th e po wer t o ap po int p erson s to hold or act in the office to wh ich th is section app lies (in cluding th e power
to transfe r from one o ffice t o an other a nd to co nfi rm app ointment s) and to rem ove pe rsons so appointed from any
suc h office sha ll vest in t he President.
(2) T he offices to whi ch t his sect ion a ppl ies are t he offices of Am bassad ors, Hi gh Commissi one rs or other pri ncipal
represe ntatives of Sierra Le one abroa d, the C ommanders of the Arm ed Forces, a nd the Inspector-Ge nera l of Police;
Provi ded t hat the a ppoi ntment to these offices s hall be sub ject to the approval of Pa rliament.
Appo intm ent of Permanent Secretaries and c ertain othe r officers.
15 4. (1) The powe r to appoint pers ons to hol d or act in any of the offices t o whi ch t his se ction a ppl ies (incl uding the
po we r to m ake ap poi ntments on prom otion a nd transfe r from one o ffice t o an other a nd to co nfi rm app ointment s) and
to rem ove perso ns so ap po inted fro m an y such office sh all v est in th e Presid ent acting in consu ltatio n wi th th e Pub lic
Service Commission.
(2) Th e offices to wh ich th is section a pplies are the offices of Secret ary to the Cabi net, Se cretary to t he Vice-
Preside nt, Fina ncial Secreta ry, Di rect or-General of the Ministry of Foreig n Affairs, Estab lish ment Secretary,
Devel opm ent Secretary, Provincial Sec retary and Perm anent Sec retary.
(3) Whe re a ny pers on hol ding an office m entione d in s ubse ction (2) acce pts another s uch office ca rrying higher
rem unerat ion, he s hall, unl ess a co ntrary intention ap pea rs from the term s of hi s a ppoi ntment, be deem ed t o ha ve
relin qu ish ed the office he was orig inally ho lding ; wh ere th e second office does not carry hi gher rem une rat ion, the
que stion whether or not he shall be de em ed t o have rel inquished t he original of fice s hall depe nd on the term s of his
second appoint ment.
(4) Sub ject t o the prov isio ns of section 152 of th is Constitu tio n, wh ere an y p erson has b een rem oved un der
sub sect ion (1) from any of fice speci fied in subs ect ion (2) he m ay not wi thstandi ng suc h removal —
a. rem ain in th e Pu blic Serv ice;
b. continue t o rec eive a sala ry not less tha n the salary he recei ved be fore suc h rem oval; and
c. continu e to be elig ible fo r an y benefit granted to h im in resp ect of his service as a public officer, in clud ing
bene fits pay able u nde r a ny law provi ding for the grant of pensi ons, gratuities or both;
unl ess by suc h rem oval he cea ses t o be a m ember of t he P ublic Ser vice.

PART II — THE POLICE FORCE

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Establish ment of the Sierra Leone Polic e Force.
15 5. (1) T here shall be a Police Force of Sierra Le one , the Head of wh ich shall b e th e Inspector-Gene ral of Police.
(2) No pe rson shall raise a ny police force e xcept by or under th e au thority of an Act of Par lia ment.
(3) No m ember of t he Police Force s hall hold office as Pres ident, Vi ce- Pre sident , Minister or De put y Minister, o r be
qual ified f or el ect ion as a M ember of Parl iament wh ilst he rem ains a memb er of th e Po lice Force.
Establish ment of Police Council. 15 6. (1 ) Th ere shall b e estab lished a Po lice Co un cil wh ich shall con sist of—

a. the Vice -Pre sident who s hall be C hairm an;
b. the Minister of Internal Affairs;
c. the Ins pector-Gene ral of Poli ce;
d. the De puty Ins pector-G ene ral of Police;
e. the Chairm an of the Pub lic Serv ice C ommis sion;
f. a m ember o f the Sierra Leo ne Bar As sociation who sh all be a leg al practitio ner of no t less th an ten years
standi ng as a pract icing B arrister, a nd shall be nom inated by th at body an d appo inted by th e Presid ent;
g. two other m embers ap pointed by the Presi dent, subject to the a pproval of Parl iament.

(2) Ev ery m emb er of th e Po lice Cou ncil sh all tak e an d su bscribe the oath as set ou t in th e Th ird Sch edule to th is
Co nstitu tion .

(3) Th e Perm anent Secretary of th e Min istry resp on sible for m atters relati ng to the Po lice sh all be Secretary to th e
Co un cil.
Appointm ents in the Police Force 15 7. (1) T he Inspector-Ge nera l shall be appo inted by th e Presid ent acting on th e adv ice of th e Po lice Coun cil, su bject
to th e app rov al of Parlia ment.
(2) Sub ject t o the prov isio ns of th is C onstitu tio n, th e po wer to appo int perso ns to ho ld or act in an office in th e Po lice
For ce f rom the ra nk of Assi stant Supe rintendent of Police and above, e xcluding t he Inspector-Ge neral of Police,
(incl uding the po we r to m ake ap poi ntments on prom otion a nd to confi rm app ointment s), and to dism iss, re duce in
rank and to ex ercise d isci plin ary con trol ov er p erson s holding or actin g in su ch offices sh all v est in the Po lice
Co un cil.
(3) Th e po wer to appo int perso ns to ho ld or act in an y office in th e Po lice Fo rce below the ran k of Assistan t
Su peri ntendent of Police, (i ncludi ng the po wer to m ake app ointment s on prom otion a nd t o confirm app ointm ents),
and to dism iss, re duce in ran k an d t o exe rcise di sci plinary cont rol over person s hol ding or act ing i n su ch offices s hall
vest in th e Po lice Cou ncil actin g on the recomme ndation of the Ins pector-Gene ral of Poli ce.
(4) Sub ject t o the prov isio ns of th is sectio n an d to the control and direction of the Po lice Co un cil, the Insp ector-
Gen eral of Po lice sh all be respo nsible for th e operation al con trol and ad ministratio n of t he Po lice Force.
Functions o f the Police Council 15 8. (1 ) Th e Po lice Cou ncil sh all adv ise th e Presid ent on all major m atters of policy relatin g to intern al secu rity,
inclu ding th e ro le of t he Po lice For ce, Police budgeting a nd fina nce, adm inistratio n an d any o ther m atter as t he
Presid ent sh all requ ire.
(2) Th e Po lice Co un cil m ay, with th e prior ap pro val of th e Presid ent, m ake reg ulation s fo r the p erfo rmance o f its
fun ction s under th is C onstitu tio n or an y o ther law, an d fo r th e effectiv e and efficien t ad min istratio n of t he Po lice
Force.
(3) R egul ations m ade pu rsuant to the provisions of subsect ion (2) shal l include regul ations i n re spect of—
a. the con trol an d ad ministratio n of th e Po lice Fo rce of Sierra Leon e;
b. the ra nks of officers and m en of each unit of the Police Forc e, the m embers in eac h s uch rank and t he use of
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uni form s by such m embers;
c. the cond itio ns of serv ice, i nclu ding tho se relatin g to enro lmen t and to pay, pension s, gratuities an d other
allowance s of officers and men of each unit and deductions there from ;
d. the au thority an d pow ers of co mman d of of ficers and m en of the Police Force; a nd
e. the del egat ion t o other person s of po wer s of com mandi ng officers to di sci pline acc use d pers ons, an d the
cond itio ns su bject to wh ich such deleg ation may b e m ade.

PART III — RE SIG NATIONS, RE- APP OINTMENTS AND PR OTECT ION OF PE NS ION
RIGHTS OF PUBLIC OFFICERS HOLDING EST ABL ISHE D OFF ICES
Resigna tion and e ffect of ne w appoi ntm ent of a person holding an establis hed of fice.
15 9. (1 ) An y per son wh o is ap po inted or elected to , or otherwise selected for, any office established by this
Co nstitu tion , includ ing the office of Vice-Presid ent, Mem ber of the Cab inet, Min ister or Depu ty Min ister, m ay resig n
fro m th at o ffice b y writing under h is hand add ressed to the person or au thority b y wh om he was app ointed, elected or
selected:
Provi ded t hat in the case of the Spea ker of the De put y Spea ker hi s res ignat ion from of fice s hall be add resse d t o
Parl iament and in the case of a M ember of Parliament hi s resignat ion from Parl iament shal l be a ddres sed t o the
Spea ker.
(2) T he resig nation of any per son from any such office a s re ferred to i n subsection (1) s hall take effect, where no date
is specifie d, when the writing si gnifying the resignation is received by t he person or aut hority to whom it is addresse d
or by a ny pers on aut horised by that pers on or aut hority to receive it.
Re-appoin tment, etc. 16 0. (1) Subj ect to the provisi ons of t his Constitution, where any person has vacate d any office established by this
Co nstitu tion he m ay, if qu alifi ed, ag ain b e app ointed, el ected , or otherwise selected to ho ld th at office.
(2) Wh ere by this Con stitu tion a po wer is con ferred up on an y p erso n or au tho rity to m ake an y appo intment to an y
pu blic office, a pe rso n m ay be ap poi nted t o that office notwithstandi ng that som e ot her perso n m ay be h olding that
office, whe n that ot her pers on is on leave of abse nce pend ing relin qu ish ment of t he office; and whe re two or m ore
pers ons a re hol ding the sam e of fice by reas on of an ap pointment made i n pu rsuance of this subse ction then for the
pu rposes of any fu nct ion c onferre d up on the hol der of that office t he person last appointed s hall be dee med t o be t he
sol e hol der o f the of fice.
Pro tection o f pension rights. 16 1. (1 ) Th e law ap plicab le to an y benefits to wh ich this sec tio n ap plies shall, in relation to an y p erso n wh o h as been
granted, o r who is elig ible for the g rant o f such benefits, b e that in force on th e relev ant date o r an y later law th at is
not less fa vourabl e to that per son .
(2) In this secti on “the releva nt date” m eans—
a. in relation to an y b enefits gran ted before the twen ty-s eventh day of Ap ril, 1 961 , the d ate o f wh ich tho se
bene fits we re grant ed;
b. in relation to an y b enefits gran ted on or after th e twen ty-seven th day of Ap ril, 196 1, to or in respect of any
pers on wh o wa s a pu blic officer bef ore that date, th e twen ty-six th d ay of Ap ril, 19 61 ; an d
c. in relation to an y b enefits gran ted or to b e gran ted to or in respect of any perso n who bec omes a pu blic
officer o n or after the twent y-seve nth day of Ap ril, 19 61, the dat e on which he becom es a publ ic of ficer.
(3) Wh ere a p erson is entitled to ex ercise an option as to wh ich of t wo or more laws sh all ap ply in h is case, th e law
speci fied by him in exe rcising the option s hall, fo r the purpos es of t his se ction, be deem ed t o be m ore f avo urabl e to
him than t he other law or laws .
(4) Any benefi ts to whi ch t his sect ion ap plies (not bei ng a bene fit that is a cha rge upon some ot her publ ic fu nd of
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Sier ra Leon e) sh all b e a ch arge up on the C onso lid ated Fu nd or upon su ch other Sp ecial Fu nd , wh eth er co ntribu tory
or non-cont ributory, as Parl iament may pres cri be.
(5) Th is section ap plies t o any b enefits payab le und er any law p rov iding fo r the g rant o f pension s, gratuities or
com pensat ion to pers ons wh o are or ha ve bee n pu blic officers in resp ect of th eir serv ice in th e pub lic serv ice or t o th e
wi dows , children, depen dants or pers onal re prese ntatives of such pe rson s in res pect of su ch se rvi ce.
(6) Refe rences to the la w a ppli cab le to an y ben efits to wh ich th is sectio n applies i ncludes (wit hout pre judice to t heir
generality) referen ces to an y l aw relatin g to the tim e at wh ich an d th e m anner in wh ich any p erson m ay retire in order
to become elig ible fo r those ben efits.
(7) No twith stan ding an y law or cu stom to th e con trary, it sh all b e lawfu l for Parliam ent to en act th at a person al sh all
not be en titled to a benefit und er th is section, un less he has contribu ted to a sp ecified Fund created for t he pu rpo se.

PART IV — POWER A ND PROCED URE OF COM MISSIO NS
AN D COU NCI LS, AN D LEG AL PRO CEED ING S
Pow er of C ommissions in re lation to t he gra nt of pe nsions.
16 2. (1) Whe re any bene fits to which t his sec tion a ppl ies ca n be wi thhel d, red uced i n am ou nt or su spe nded by any
law, t hose be nefits shal l not be so wi thhel d, red uced i n am ou nt or su spe nded —
a. in th e case of ben efits wh ich hav e been gran ted in resp ect of serv ice in the public serv ice t o an y p erso n wh o
at the tim e when he cease d to be a public offi cer was subject to the jurisdict ion of the Judi cial and Legal
Ser vice C ommissi on or for which a ny pers on m ay be e lig ible in resp ect of su ch serv ice, with ou t th e
app roval of that Commissi on; or
b. in an y other case, wit hou t th e appro val of th e Pub lic Serv ice Co mmissio n or th e app rop riate Co un cil, as th e
case m ay be.
(2) No be nefits to whi ch t his sect ion a ppl ies that ha ve bee n gra nted to or in res pect of any pers on wh o i s or has bee n
a Judge of t he High C ourt, a Justice of Ap peal or of the Suprem e C ourt, or a form er Judge of the Supre me Court or
for whi ch a ny suc h pers on or his wi dow, children, de penda nts or pe rsonal represe ntatives may be el igible, shall be
withhel d, reduced in am ount or sus pended on the ground that that pe rson has bee n guilty of m isconduct or
misbehavi our unl ess that per son has been re moved f rom ju dicial of fice by reas on of such m iscon duct or
misbehavi our.
(3) Th is section ap plies t o any b enefits payab le und er any law p rov iding fo r the g rant o f pension s, gratuities or
com pensat ion to pers ons wh o are or ha ve bee n pu blic officers in resp ect of th eir serv ice in th e pub lic serv ice or t o th e
wi dows , children, depen dants or pers onal re prese ntatives of such pe rson s in res pect of su ch se rvi ce whether on a
cont ributory or non-cont ribut ory basi s.
Pow er and p rocedur e of Comm issions. 16 3. (1 ) An y C ommissio n or Co un cil estab lished by th is C onstitu tion m ay, with the co nsen t of the Presid ent an d
subject t o th e pr ov ision s of sub section (2) , by r egu latio n or otherwise regulate its o wn procedur e an d, co nfer or
del egat e powe rs or impose dut ies o n any aut hori ty of the Gover nment fo r the pu rpose of discha rge of its funct ions.
(2) At an y m eetin g of an y C ommiss ion or Co un cil estab lished b y this Con stitu tio n a quorum sh all b e co nstitu ted if
three m embers are pre sent; a nd if a quorum is prese nt th e C ommissio n or Co un cil sh all no t b e disqu alified for th e
transaction of busi ness by rea son of any vac ancy am ong its m embers and any proceedi ngs of the Com mission or
Co un cil sh all be v alid no twithstan ding th at so me person who was not en titled to do so took part t herei n.
Protection of Commissions f rom legal proceed ings.
16 4. The quest ion w hether—
a. any Co mm issi on or C oun cil estab lish ed b y this Con stitu tion has valid ly perfo rmed an y function vested in it
by or un der th is Con stitu tio n;
b. any m ember of suc h a Commissi on or Council or a ny other pers on has val idly pe rform ed any funct ions
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del egat ed t o su ch m ember or pers on in pursuance of the provi sions of subsect ion (1) of sect ion 16 3 or, as
the case m ay be, s ubsect ion (10) of sect ion 15 2; or
c. any m ember of suc h a Commissi on or Council or a ny other pers on or aut hori ty has val idly per formed an y
other fun ction in relation to the wo rk of th e Co mmissio n or Cou ncil or in relatio n to an y su ch fun ctio n as is
refe rre d to in parag raph (b),
shall no t be inqu ired in to in any Co urt.

CHAPT ER XI — T HE ARM ED F ORCES
Esta blis hment of th e Armed Forces. 16 5. (1) T here shall be the Armed Forces of Sierra Leon e wh ich sh all consist of the Arm y, the Nav y and th e Air
For ce, a nd s uch other bra nches f or which provi sion is m ade by Pa rliament.
(2) T he pri ncipal fu nct ion of the Arm ed F orces shal l be t o guard a nd sec ure the R epu blic of Si erra Le on e an d
preserv e th e safety and territorial in tegrity o f th e State, to particip ate in its d evelop ment, to safegu ard the p eople’s
ach iev ements an d to pro tect this con stitu tio n.
(3) No m ember of t he Arm ed Force s hall hold office a s Pre sident, Vice-President, Minister or De put y M inister, or be
qual ified f or el ect ion as a M ember of Parl iament wh ilst he rem ains a memb er of th e Armed Forces.
Pro hibition of private armed forces. 16 6. No person sh all raise an y arm ed force ex cep t by or und er th e au tho rity o f an Act of Parliam ent.
Appo intm ents in t he Armed Forces. 16 7. (1 ) Th ere shall b e estab lished a Defen ce Cou ncil wh ich sh all co nsist of—
a. the Presid ent, who sh all be the Ch airm an;
b. the Vice-Presid ent;
c. the Minister responsi ble for Defe nce;
d. the Ch ief of Defen ce Staff;
e. the C ommanders of t he Arm ed F orces (A rm y, Na vy an d Air F orce s) a nd t heir deput ies;
f. the Minister of Internal Affairs;
g. two other perso ns as t he Presid ent sh all from time to time ap po int.
(2) E very m ember of the De fence C ouncil shall take and s ubscri be th e o ath as set ou t in th e Th ird Sch edu le to this
Co nstitu tion .
(3) T he Perm anent Secreta ry of the Ministry of Defe nce s hall be the Secr etary to th e Coun cil.
Appointm ents in the Armed Forces. 16 8. (1) T he President, acting on the a dvice of th e Defen ce Co un cil, sh all appo int the C hief o f Defe nce Staff of the
Arm ed Forces .
(2) Sub ject t o the prov isio ns of th is sectio n an d to the control or directiv es of th e Defen ce Cou ncil, t he C hief of
Defe nce Staff and the Commande rs of the Armed Force s shall be res pon sible f or the operational cont rol and the
adm inistrat ion of the Arm ed F orces as a whole.
Functions of the Defence C ounc il. 16 9. (1 ) Th e Defen ce Cou ncil sh all ad vise t he Presi dent on all major m atte rs of po licy relatin g to d efen ce and
strat egy includ ing t he rol e of the A rmed Fo rces, m ilitary bud get ing a nd finance , administrat ion a nd t he prom otion of
officers a bove the ra nk of Lieut enant or its equi val ent.
(2) T he Defe nce C ounci l m ay, wi th he prior approval of the Presid ent, m ake reg ulation s fo r the p erfo rmance o f its
fun ction s under th is C onstitu tio n or an y o ther law, an d fo r th e effectiv e and efficien t ad min istratio n of t he Arm ed
Forces.
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(3) R egul ations m ade pu rsuant to the provisions of subsect ion (2) shal l include regul ations i n re spect of—
a. the con trol an d ad ministratio n of th e Arm y, the Navy a nd the Air Force of Sierra Leone;
b. the ra nks of officers and m en of each Arm ed Force, the m embers in each such ra nk a nd the use of uniform s
by su ch m en;
c. the cond itio ns of serv ice, i nclu ding tho se relatin g to th e enro lm ent an d to the pay, pension s, gratu ities an d
othe r allowanc es of officers a nd m en of each Arm ed Force and de ductions there from ;
d. the aut hority and pow ers of c ommand of officers and men of each Arm ed Force; a nd
e. the del egat ion to ot her pe rson s o f po wer s of com mandi ng officers to try ac cuse d pers ons, and the c ondi tions
sub ject to whi ch s uch del egat ion m ay be made.

CHAPT ER XII — T HE L AWS OF S IERRA LEONE
The La ws of Sierra Leone . 17 0. (1) T he la ws of Sierra Le one shall com prise—
a. this Con stitu tion ;
b. laws m ade by or und er t he auth ority o f Parli ament as estab lish ed b y this C onstitu tion ;
c. any orders , rules, re gulations and ot her statutory instrum ents m ade by any pers on or aut hori ty pursuant to a
power co nferred in th at behalf b y th is Con stitu tio n or an y other law;
d. the ex isting law; and
e. the comm on la w.
(2) Th e co mmo n law of Sierra Leon e sh all co mprise th e rules of law g enerally k nown as th e co mm on law, t he rules
of law generally k now n as t he do ctr ines of eq uity, an d th e rules of cu stomary law i nclud ing tho se determin ed by the
Su peri or C ourt of Judi cat ure.
(3) F or the purpos es of t his se ction t he expressi on “cust omary law” m eans the r ules of law whi ch by cu stom are
applicab le to particu lar co mmu nities in Sierra Leon e.
(4) Th e ex isting law sh all, sav e as o therwise prov ided in su bsectio n (1 ), comprise th e written and un written laws of
Sierra Leon e as th ey ex isted immed iatel y b efore th e d ate of th e co ming in to force of th is Co nstitu tion and an y
statutory instrument issued or made be fore t hat dat e wh ich is to co me in to force on or after th at date.
(5) Sub ject t o the prov isio ns of th is sectio n, t he operatio n of th e ex istin g laws after t he comin g in to fo rce of th is
Constitution shall not be a ffec ted by suc h commence ment; and accordingly the existing l aw shall be construed with
such m odificatio ns, ad aptation s, qu alification s and ex cep tions as m ay b e necessary to bring it in to con formity with
the pro vision s of th is C onstitu tio n or otherwise to g ive effect to or enab le effect t o be giv en to an y ch anges effected
by th is C onstitu tio n.
(6) E very statutory instrum ent shal l be pu blished in the Gazette not later t han twen ty-eight d ays after it is m ade or, in
the case of a st atu tory i nstru men t wh ich will not have th e force of law unless it is app rov ed by so me perso n or
autho rity o ther th an th e person or au thority b y wh ich is it ma de, no t later th an twen ty-eig ht days after i t is app roved,
and if it is not so publish ed it shall b e vo id fro m th e d ate on wh ich it was mad e.
(7) Any orders, rules o r reg ulations m ade by any pe rson or authori ty pursuant to a power conferred i n that behal f by
this Con stitu tion or an y other law—
a. shall b e laid before Parliam ent;
b. shall b e pub lish ed in the Gazette on or before th e day th ey are so laid before Parlia ment;
c. shall co me in to fo rce at t he exp iration of a period of twenty-o ne days of being so laid un less Parliam ent,
bef ore the e xpirat ion of the sa id pe riod of twent y-one day s, ann uls any such order s, rul es or re gul ations by
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the vo tes of not less th an two -third s of t he M embers of Parli ament.

CHAPT ER XIII — MISCE LLANE OUS
Inte rpretation. Cap. 61 Act No. 20 of 19 63
17 1. (1 ) in this Co nstitu tion un less a con trary in ten tio n ap pears—
“Chiefdom Council” m eans a Chiefdom Council constituted unde r the Chiefdom Counci ls Act;
“C om missi on of Inquiry” includes a c ommittee of inqui ry;
“Co nstitu tion al in stru ment” mean s an instrumen t made und er a power con ferred in th at behalf by th is Co nstitu tion ;
“Co urt” m ean s an y co urt of law in Sierra Leo ne in clud ing a cou rt m artial;
“law” includes —
a. any in stru ment having th e fo rce of law m ade in ex ercise of a po wer con ferr ed b y law ;
b. custo mary law and an y other unwritten ru les of law;
“Local Court” means a Court estab lish ed b y or und er t he Lo cal Cou rts Act, 19 63 ;
“Oath” i nclude s an affirm atio n;
“The Presi dent ” m eans the Presid ent o f the Rep ublic;
“Pub lic Em ergency” in clud es any p eriod du ring wh ich
a. Sierra Leone is at wa r; or
b. there is i n force a Pro clam ation issu ed by the Presi dent under subsection (1) of sectio n 29 ; or
c. there i s in force a R esol ution of Parl iament m ade u nde r subsect ion ( 3) of sect ion 29;
“public office” includes a n office the em olumen ts attach ing to wh ich are paid directly fro m th e Co nsolid ated Fund or
direct ly out of money s pr ovi ded by Pa rliament;
“public office r” m eans a pers on hold ing or acting i n a publ ic office;
“pub lic serv ice” m ean s, sub ject to th e prov isio ns of sub sect ions (3) an d (4), se rvice o f the G ove rnment of Si erra
Leone in a civi l capacity and i ncludes s uch service i n respe ct o f th e Go vernment ex istin g in Sierra Leone prio r to the
twen ty-sev enth day of Ap ril, 19 61 ;
“Session ” m eans the sittin gs of Parliam ent wh en it first meets after t he co mmen cem ent of th is C onstitu tio n or after
the p rorogat ion or dissol ution of Parl iament at any time and endi ng when Parliament is pr orogue d or di ssolved
wi thout havi ng bee n pr orogue d;
“Sierra Leon e” m ean s th e territo ry m ore p articu larly d escrib ed in the Fi rst Sch edu le;
“St atutory Instrum ent” m eans any procl amation, re gulation, order, rule or other instrum ent (not bei ng an Act of
Parl iament) ha ving the force of law;
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Act No. 7 of 196 4 “the Sierra Le one Police” m eans the Police Fo rce estab lish ed under th e Po lice Act, 1964 ;
“sitting” m eans a pe riod during whic h Pa rliam ent is sitti ng continuously without a djour nm ent including any peri od
during wh ich Parlia ment is in co mmittee.
(2) In th is C onstitu tio n unless a con trary in ten tio n app ears—
a. words im porting m ale p erson s sh all in clude fe male p erson s and corp oration s;
b. wo rds in the sing ular shal l include t he plural, an d wo rds in the plural sh all include the sing ular;
c. whe re a word is de fined, other part s of speec h a nd tenses of that word shal l have co rre spondi ng m eani ngs;
d. wo rds direct ing or em poweri ng a pu blic officer t o do any act or thing, or otherwi se a pplying t o hi m by the
desi gnation of hi s of fice, shall include hi s successo rs in offi ce and all his dep uties or all oth er assistan ts;
e. wo rds direct ing or em poweri ng a M inister to do an act or thing or ot her wise ap plying t o him, by the
designation of his office, s hall include a Mi nister ac tin g fo r him, or if t he office is vaca nt a Minister
designated to a ct in that office by or under t he authority of a n Act of Parliament and also his s uccess ors in
office o r all his de put ies or ot her assi stant s.
(3) In th is C onstitu tio n unless o therwise expressly prov ided “th e public serv ice” in clud es serv ice i n the office of
Chief J ustice, a Justice of the Suprem e Co urt, Justice of Appeal, Jud ge of the High Court or of th e fo rmer Su prem e
Court or in the office o f Judge of any ot her c ourt est ablished by Pa rliament bei ng a n office the em olum ent s attachi ng
to which are pa id out of the C ons olidated Fund or any other publ ic fund of Si erra Le one , and ser vice i n the office o f a
me mber of the Sierra Leone Police Force.
(4) In th is C onstitu tio n “th e pu blic serv ice” does not include serv ice in the office of Presid ent, Vice-Presid ent,
Spea ker , M inister, Dep uty M inister, Attor ney- General an d Min ister of Ju stice, Deputy Speake r, Mem ber of
Parliam ent, o r of an y m ember of an y Co mmi ssio n estab lishe d by th is C onstitu tio n, or any member o f an y coun cil,
board, panel, co mmit tee o r other similar body ( whether in corpo rated or no t) estab lish ed by or un der any law , or in
the office of a ny Param ount C hief, Chiefdom Councillor or member of a L ocal Court.
(5) In th is C onstitu tio n, un less a co ntrary in tentio n app ears—
a. a refe rence to a n appointm ent to any office s hall be c onstrued as in clud ing a referen ce t o the appo intm ent of
a pe rson t o act in or perform th e funct ions of that office; and
b. a refe rence t o the hol der of an office by a t erm desi gnat ing his office shal l be c onstrued a s including a
refe rence to any pers on for the time bei ng lawf ully act ing i n or pe rform ing t he funct ions of that office.
(6) Wh ere by this Con stitu tion power is vested in an y person or au thority to ap po int an y person to act in or perform
the f unct ions of any office, if the h older thereof is hi mself una ble to pe rform those f unct ions , no such appointment
shall b e called in qu estion on the gro und th at th e holder of t he office was no t un able to p erfo rm th ose fun ctio ns.
(7) In th is C onstitu tio n an d in an y other law—
a. the power to ap po int an y perso n to ho ld or t o act in an y office in th e pub lic serv ice sh all in clu de th e power
to confirm ap po intm ents, to ex ercise discip linary co ntrol over pers ons hol ding o r act ing in suc h of fices and
to rea ppoi nt or rei nstate a ny perso n appoi nted i n exe rcise of the po we r in quest ion, unless suc h po wer is
expressly or by necessary im plicatio n con ferred upon some other person or au thority b y this Co nstitu tion .
b. whe re a power is co nfe rre d or a d uty is imposed on the ho lder of an of fice as su ch, th e pow er m ay b e
exerci sed a nd the dut y shall be pe rform ed by the pers on for the time bei ng char ged wi th the per formance o f
the f unct ions of his o ffice.
(8) Referen ce i n th is Con stitu tio n to th e power to rem ove a public officer fro m his office shall b e con stru ed as
includi ng re fer ences t o any powe r c onfe rre d by any law t o requ ire or permit th at o fficer to retire fro m th e public
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service;
Provi ded that —
a. not hing in this sub sect ion shall be c onstrued as co nfe rring on any pe rson or authori ty the po we r ot re qui re a
Jud ge of the Hi gh Court , a J ustice of Appeal or a J ustice of t he Sup rem e Co urt, t he So licito r-Gen eral, the
Di rect or of Public Pr osec utions or the Audi tor-Ge neral to retire fr om the pu blic ser vice; and
b. any pow er conf err ed b y an y l aw to p ermit a person to r etire fro m th e pu blic serv ice sh all, in th e case of any
pu blic officer wh o m ay be re moved f rom of fice by some perso n or authority ot her t han a Commissi on,
estab lish ed b y this Con stitu tion , be vested in the Pu blic Service Co mmissio n.
(9) In th is C onstitu tio n, referen ce to a sub sectio n, paragraph, sub-p arag raph or ite m sh all b e co nstru ed as referen ce to
a su bsect ion, parag raph, sub-para gra ph or item of t he sect ion, subsect ion, pa rag raph or sub-para gra ph a s the case
may b e in wh ich th e referen ce is m ade.
(10 ) An y prov isio n in this Con stitu tio n th at vests in an y person or au tho rity th e po wer t o rem ove an y pu blic officer
fro m his o ffice sh all be with ou t prej ud ice to the power of any p erso n or au tho rity to abolish an y office or to an y law
providing for the c ompul sory ret irem ent of pu blic officers gene ral ly or any class o f pu blic officers on attaining a n
age s pecifie d by or under t hat law.
(11) Whe re a ny po we r—
a. is con ferred by th is Con stitu tio n to m ake an y ord er, reg ulatio n, ru le o r pass any reso lutio n or g ive any
direct ion or m ake a ny decl aration or desi gn ation, i t shall be deem ed t o include t he po we r, e xerci sea ble in
lik e m anner and su bject t o th e lik e cond itio ns, if an y, t o amen d or revok e any su ch ord er, reg ulation , rule,
constitu tio nal or statu tory in stru ment, reso lutio n, direc tion , declaration or design ation as th e case may be;
Pro vided that no thing in th is su bsectio n shall app ly to the power to issu e a certifi cate conferre d by paragraph (b)
of sub section (6) of section 50 of th is C onstitutio n.
b. is gi ven t o any pers on or aut hori ty to do or e nforce the doing of any act or thing, all such po we rs s hall be
deem ed to be a lso give n as a re necessa ry to enable t hat perso n or au thor ity to do or en for ce th e do ing of th e
act o r th ing .
(12 ) Fo r the purpo ses of th is Co nstitu tion a person sh all not b e reg arded as ho lding an office of em olument und er th e
Go vernm ent by reaso n only that he is in rec eipt of a pensi on or ot her l ike bene fit in res pect of ser vice i n an office
un der the Governm ent.
(13 ) No prov isio n of th is C onstitu tio n th at an y p erso n or au tho rity sh all no t b e su bject to th e direction or co ntrol of
any ot her pe rson or authori ty in exerci sing any funct ions unde r this Const itution s hall be co nst rued as precl uding a
Co urt fro m ex ercisin g jurisd ictio n in relation to an y qu estion whether the pe rso n or authori ty has per formed t hose
fun ction s in acco rdance with this Con stitu tion or an y other law.
(14 ) Wh ere, und er an y prov isio n of t his Con stitu tio n, an y person or au tho rity au thorised or requ ired to exercise an y
fun ction after co nsultatio n wit h so me other person or au tho rity , th e p erson or au thority shall n ot be requ ired to act i n
accorda nce with the advice of that ot her pe rson or a uthor ity, and t he que stion whethe r such consultation was m ade
shall no t be inqu ired in to in any co urt.
(15 ) Th is Con stitu tio n sh all be th e sup rem e law of Sierra Leo ne and an y oth er law fou nd to be in consisten t with an y
prov isio n of t his Co nstitu tion shall, to th e ex tent of t he in con sisten cy, be vo id and of no effect.
Legisla tion. 17 2. (1 ) An y referen ce i n th is Con stitu tio n to a law m ade befo re 2 7th April, 1961 , sh all, u nless the con text otherwise
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req uires, be c onst rued as a re ference to that law as it ha d ef fect im mediately bef ore the c oming i nto ef fec t of this
Co nstitu tion .
(2) Any refe rence in this C onstitution to a la w that am ends or re places a ny othe r la w or any provision of any othe r
law s hall be c onstrued as i ncludi ng a refe rence to a la w that m odifies, re -enacts, with or with ou t am endmen t or
modi ficat ion, s uspends, re pea ls, ad ds new provi sion , or m akes differe nt provi sions in lieu of that other law or t hat
prov isio n.
(3) It is he reby declare d that—
a. any power to mak e laws conferred b y this Co nstitu tion inclu des power t o m ake laws hav ing extra-territo rial
ope rat ion;
b. any referen ce i n th is Con stitu tio n to th e fun ctio ns of the Presid ent includ es referen ce to h is fu nction s as
Commander -in-C hief of the Armed Force s of the R epu blic;
c. the f unct ions of the Commander -in-C hief of the Arm ed Fo rces of th e Repu blic sh all b e su ch as m ay b e
presc ribed by Parl iament.
Conse quentia l pro visions. 17 3. Th e provisio ns of an y C onsequ ential Prov ision s Act ma de un der this Con stitu tio n and of an y Act relatin g to
citizenship sha ll not be am ended, rep eale d, re-e nacted or replaced unless th e Bill incorporating suc h amendm ents,
repeal, r e-enactment or replace ment is sup por ted at t he final vo te th ereupon by th e vo tes of no t less t han tw o-third s of
the Mem bers of Parlia ment.

CHAPT ER XIV — TRA NSITION AL PRO VISIO NS
Existi ng C onstitution Act No. 12 of 19 78. 17 4. In this Chap ter “t he ex istin g Constitu tion ” refe rs to th e Con stitu tio n of Sierra Leon e, 19 78 .
Effects of Transitional Pro visions. 17 5. Th e tran sitio nal pro vision s of th is C onstitu tio n sh all ha ve effect no twith stand ing an yth ing to th e contrary
contain ed in this Co nstitu tion or an y other law.
Existi ng La w. 17 6. In this Chapt er, the e xpressi on “exi sting l aw” m eans any Act , rule, regul ation, order or ot her suc h instrument
mad e in pursu ance o f, or con tin uing in op erat ion un der, the existin g Con stitu tio n and having effect as part o f th e laws
of Sierra Leo ne or of an y part th ereo f immed iately b efore the co mm encemen t of t his Constitu tio n or any Act of th e
Par liam ent of the United K ing do m or Order of Her Maj esty in Coun cil so h aving ef fect and m ay b e con stru ed w ith
such m odificatio ns, ad aptation s, qu alification s and ex cep tions as m ay b e necessary to bring it in to con formity with
this Con stitu tion as if it h ad been m ade un der this Con stitu tion .
Applic ation of existing law. Act No. 12 of 19 78.
17 7. (1 ) Th e ex istin g law sh all, n otwith stand ing th e rep eal of the Con stitu tio n of Sierra Leon e Act, 1 978, have effect
after th e en try in to force of th is Con stitu tio n as if th ey had been m ade in pursu ance of th is Co nstitu tion and sh all b e
read and c onstrued with s uch modifica tions, adaptations, qualifications a nd exce ptions as may be necess ary to bri ng
them in to con formity with th is Con stitu tio n.
(2) Wh ere any matter that fails to be prescribed or otherwis e prov ided for under th is C onstitu tio n by Parlia ment or by
any ot her aut hori ty or pers on is pre scri bed or provi ded for by or unde r a n exi sting law (incl uding any amendm ent to
any su ch law mad e un der this sectio n), or is o therwis e pres cribe d or provi ded for immediately before the
commen cem ent o f th is C onstitutio n by or und er th e ex isting Constitu tion , th at prescrip tio n or prov ision sh all, as fro m
the co mm encemen t o f th is C onstitu tion , have effect with su ch m odificatio ns, ad aptatio ns, qu alifications and
exceptions as may be necessary to bri ng it into c onform ity with this Constitution as it had been m ade unde r this
Co nstitu tion by Parliam ent or, as th e case may requ ire, b y the other au tho rity o r person .
(3) S ubject to the a pproval of Parl iament, the Presi dent m ay, by order m ade aft er the c ommencem ent of this
Co nstitu tion bu t b efore t he first d isso lution of Parliam ent under th is C onstitu tio n, m ake su ch am endments to an y
existin g law as m ay ap pear to h im to be necessary or ex pedient fo r bring ing th at law i nto confo rmity with th e
prov isio ns o f this Con stitu tion or otherwise for g iving effect or en abling effect to be given to th e prov isions of t his
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Co nstitu tion .
(4) Th e p rov isio ns of this sect ion sh all b e with ou t p reju dice to any po wers co nferred by this Co nstitu tion or by any
other law upon any pers on or aut hori ty to m ake provision for a ny m atter, i ncludi ng the am endm ent or re peal of any
existin g law.
Pre servation o f existing offices. 17 8. (1 ) Wh ere an y office h as been estab lish ed by or un der the ex istin g Con stitu tio n or any ex istin g law, and th is
Co nstitu tion estab lish es or pro vides for t he estab lish ment o f a sim ilar or an eq uivalen t office in clud ing the office of
Preside nt, Vice -Presi dent, Minister, Mem ber of the Cabi net, Attorney-Ge neral and Mi nister of Just ice, D eput y
Min ister or any p erson who , immed iately b efore th e co mmencement of this Con stitu tion , ho lds or is actin g in th e
form er o ffice sh all, so far as is con sisten t with th e prov ision s of th is C onstitu tio n, be deemed as fro m th e
commen cem ent o f th is C onstitutio n to have been appo inted, elected or otherwise selected to hold or act in th e latter
office in accord ance with th e prov isio ns of this Con stitu tion :
Provi ded that —
a. any pe rson who unde r the exi sting C onstitution or a ny e xisting law would have bee n re quired to vacate his
office at the expiration of a ny peri od or on the attainm ent of any a ge s hall vacate his offic e at the e xpiration
of th at period or on th e attainmen t of th at age;
b. no alteratio n mad e in th e functio ns, powers or duties of an y office b y this Co nstitu tion shall en title th e
hol der there of for the purpose of any law wi th respect to pensi ons benefi ts to be t reat ed as if his office h ad
been abolishe d.
(2) The person who holds the office of Pr esi dent of th e Repu blic of Sierra Le one immediately before t he com ing int o
force of th is C onstitu tion sh all co ntinu e to be th e Presid ent of th e Rep ublic of Sierra Leon e after the commen cement
of th is C onstitu tio n un til th e first Presid ential electio n is held und er th is Co nstitu tion ;
Provi ded t hat the period serve d after the com mencem ent of this Const itution shal l not co unt as a t erm or part of a
term for the purposes of subsection (1) of sec tion 46 .
(3) th e offices of Vice-Presi dents under th e existin g Con stitu tio n shall remain in fo rce un til th e fi rst d isso lution of
Parliam ent under th is C onstitu tio n.
(4) An y person wh o, by virtu e of th is sectio n is d eem ed as fro m th e co mm encem ent o f this Con stitu tio n to have been
appointe d, elec ted or othe rwis e selected to hold or act in any office s hall al so be deem ed as from the commence ment
of th is C onstitu tio n to have been ap po inted , elected or otherwise selected to ho ld or act i n th at office, an d shall also
be deem ed to hav e tak en and su bscrib ed an y necessary o ath under th is C onstitu tio n.
(5) Th e High Court o f Ju stice estab lish ed und er the p rov isions of sub sectio n (4 ) of section 120 of th is C onstitu tion
shall b e th e su ccessor to th e Hig h Court in b eing imm ediatel y b efore th e comin g in to fo rce of th is C onstitu tio n.
(6) T he C ourt of Appeal est ablished un der the provisions of subsectio n (4) of sectio n 120 of th is C onstitutio n shall be
the successor t o the Cour t of Appeal in bei ng immediately before th e c oming i nto force of this C onstitution; a nd
accordingly the Court of Appeal as es tablished by this C onstitution shall be bound to follow the decisions on
que stions of law binding on the C ourt of Appeal as i t existed immed iately before th e co ming into force of th is
Co nstitu tion .
(7) Th e Sup reme Co urt establish ed un der the prov ision s of sub section (4) of sectio n 120 of th is C onstitu tio n sh all b e
the successor t o the Suprem e Court in being immediately before the co ming into force of this C onstitution.
(8) Th e persons wh o immed iately b efore t he entry in to force of th is C onstitu tio n were Ju stices o f the Sup rem e Co urt,
or Justices of t he C ourt of Appeal , Jud ges of th e High Court estab lish ed un der C hapter VI of th e ex isti ng
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Co nstitu tion shall b e deem ed to have been app ointed resp ect ively Ju stices of th e Su prem e Co urt, Ju stices of th e
Co urt of Ap peal an d Ju dg es of th e Hi gh Court estab lish ed by th is Con stitu tio n.
(9) Th e person who imm ediately b efore t he entry in to force of th is C onstitu tio n held th e office of C hief Justice of t he
Judiciary establish ed un der sectio ns 10 0 and 101 of th e ex istin g Constitu tion shall b e deemed to have been ap po inted
Ch ief Ju stice, an d a Ju stice of the Su prem e C ourt under th is Co nstitu tion .
(10 ) A p erso n who is a m ember of the Pub lic Serv ice Co mmissio n estab lished by th e ex istin g Constitu tio n m ay,
not wi thstanding that by reaso n of hi s having hel d or bee n nominat ed fo r el ect ion t o any office bef ore the com ing i nto
effect of th is C onstitu tion , he is d isqu alified to be appo inted as a m ember o f th e Pub lic Serv ice C ommis sion
estab lish ed b y this Con stitu tion , con tin ue in office und er this sectio n as a me mber o f th at Co mmissio n an d b e re-
app ointed t hereto u pon the expirat ion of his term of o ffice.
(11) In this Chapt er, “pe nsions be nefi ts” m eans a ny pensi ons, compensat ions, gratuity, o r other like al lowance s for
the h older of that of fice i n res pect of his se rvice as a pu blic officer or for the wi dow, children, de penda nts or pe rsonal
represen tativ e o f such ho lder in resp ect o f such serv ice, whether or not ac crui ng from a cont ributory bas is.
(12 ) Referen ce in th is Ch apter to th e law wit h resp ect t o pension s benefits in clud es, witho ut prejud ice to th eir
generality, referen ces to the law regu latin g the circu mstan ces in wh ich su ch benefits m ay be granted or i n wh ich th e
gra nt of suc h benefi ts m ay be ref used, t he law r egulating the ci rcum stances i n whi ch a ny suc h bene fits that ha ve bee n
gra nted m ay be wi thhel d, re duced in am ou nt or sus pended , an d t he law regul ating t he a mount of any such be nefits.
(13 ) No twithstan ding an yth ing co ntain ed in this Con stitu tion to th e con trary, an y C ommis sion or C ommi ttee o f
Inqu iry in ex istence imm ediately b efore t he coming in to fo rce of this Constitu tio n m ay c ontinu e in ex isten ce un til th e
subm issi on of its rep ort or otherwi se dissolved acc ording to law.
Existi ng Pa rlia ment. 17 9. Th e Parliamen t co nstitu ted by th e ex isting Constitu tion (herein after referred to as “t he ex isting Parliamen t”)
shall b e deem ed to b e th e Parl iament at th e co mmen cem ent of th is C onstitu tio n and the ex istin g Mem bers sh all b e
deem ed Me mbers the reof a nd the sai d Parliamen t sh all stand disso lved no t later th an twel ve m onths after th e
commen cem ent o f th is C onstitutio n.
(2) Th e C onstitu encies in to wh ich Sierra Leo ne was divided immed iately before th e co mmencement of this
Co nstitu tion and until o ther pro vision is m ade in th at behalf in acco rdance with th is Con stitu tio n sh all b e deem ed to
be th e Con stituen cies in to wh ich Sierra Leone is d ivided in pursu ance of sectio n 38 of t his Con stitu tio n; and th e
person s who immed iatel y b efore th e co mmen cem ent o f this Co nstitu tion are th e elected me mbers of the ex isting
Parliam ent represen ting these con stitu encies sh all be deemed as fro m th e commen cem ent o f th is C onstitutio n to have
been elected t o Parliam ent in accorda nce with provisions of this Constitution as t he elected Mem bers re presenting t he
resp ectiv e co nstitu encies corresp ond ing to tho se con stitu encies and sh all ho ld their seats in acco rdance with th e
provisions of s ubs ect ion (1).
(3) Th e reg isters of vo ters h aving effect immed iately b efore th e co mm encement of th is Co nstitu tion for th e pu rpo ses
of electio ns to the ex isting Parlia ment sh all, as fro m th e commen cement o f th is C onstitu tio n, have effect as if th ey
have been co mpiled in pursu ance of th is C onstitu tio n.
(4) the pe rson s who, immediately befo re t he com mencem ent of this Const itution, are M embers of Parl iament
appo inted by the Presid ent pu rsu ant to the prov isio ns in pa ragraph (c) of sub section (1) or sectio n 43 of th e ex isting
Co nstitu tion , shall b e deem ed as fro m th e commen cement o f this C onstitu tio n to be Memb ers of Parliamen t un til th e
dissol ution of Parliam ent in accord ance with the provisions of subs ection (1) of this Constitution.
(5) Th e persons wh o, imm ediately b efore t he co mm enceme nt of t his Constitu tio n are the Sp eak er an d th e Depu ty
Sp eak er of th e existin g Parliamen t sh all b e dee med as fro m the co mm encemen t o f th is C onstitu tion to hav e been
elected as Sp eak er and Dep uty Sp eak er of Parlia ment in ac cordance with the pro vision s of th is C onstitu tio n and shall
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hol d office i n accor dance wi th those provi sions.
(6) Un til Parliamen t otherwise prov ides, an y person who hol ds or acts in an y office, th e ho lding of wh ich wou ld
un der the exi sting l aw be a disqu alificat ion for elect ion t o Parliament, shal l be deem ed n ot to be so disqualified as
thou gh prov isio ns in th at behalf h ad been mad e in pursu ance of th is C onstitu tio n.
(7) Th e Stand ing Orders of the ex isting Parlia ment as in force imm ediately be fore th e commen cement o f th is
Co nstitu tion shall u ntil it is o therwise prov ided by Parlia ment, be th e Stand ing Ord ers of Parliam ent, b ut th ey sh all b e
constru ed with su ch m odificatio ns, ad aptation s, qu alification s and e xcept ions as m ay be necessa ry to bring t hem into
confo rmity with th is Con stitu tio n.
(8) An y person wh o, by virtu e of th is sectio n, is d eem ed as fro m th e co mmen cem ent o f this Co nstitu tion to have been
elected as Spea ker or a ny ot her Mem ber of Parlia ment sha ll be deem ed t o have taken a nd su bscri bed any necessa ry
oath un der this Con stitu tio n.
Delegated pow ers and inquiries. 18 0. (1 ) An y po wer t hat immed iately b efore th e co mm encemen t of th is C onstitu tion is vested in an ex istin g public
serv ice au thority (th at is to say, fo r ex am ple, th e Presid ent or th e Pub lic Serv ice C ommis sion) estab lished by th e
existin g Con stitu tio n, and that, und er th e ex istin g Constitu tion, is t hen d eleg ated to so me other person or au thority
shall, as fro m the co mmen cemen t o f th is C onstitu tion and so far as is con sisten t with the prov ision s of th is
Constitution, be deem ed to ha ve been dele gated to suc h person or a uthority in accordanc e with t hose provisi ons.
(2) An y m atter th at, imm ediately b efore t he commen cem ent o f th is C onstitutio n, is pend ing b efore an ex istin g pub lic
serv ice au thority sh all, so far as is con sisten t with the prov isio ns of t his C onstitu tion , be continu ed before th e
corresp ond ing public serv ice autho rity establish ed by th is Co nstitu tion , and an y m atter th at, imm ediate ly b efore t he
com mencem ent of this Const itution, is pen ding be fore a pe rson or au thority to who m power to deal with th at m atter
has bee n del egated by an existing pu blic se rvice aut hority sha ll, so far as is con sisten t with the p rov ision s of this
Co nstitu tion , be con tin ued before th e p erso n or autho rity to wh om th at power was d elegated ;
Provi ded t hat, whe re the heari ng of a disci plinary proceedi ng has begun but has not been com pleted i mmediately
before th e co mmencement of this Con stitu tion , the co ntinued heari ng sh all not be held befo re an y person unless th e
heari ng that has already ta ken place was als o held be fore him; and whe re, by virtue of thi s provision, the hea ring
cann ot be c ont inue d i t shall be rec ommenced.
Conti nua tion of matters. 18 1. Wh ere any matter o r thing h as been commen ced before th e co ming into force of th is Con stitu tio n by an y person
or au thority h aving power in th at b ehalf under th e ex isting law , th at m atte r or thing m ay be car ried on and co mpleted
by the perso n or authori ty ha ving powe r in that behal f on or aft er such commencem ent an d i t shall not be necessa ry
for a ny such pe rso n or authori ty to comm ence ment any s uch m atter or t hing de novo.
Leg al proceed ings. 18 2. Subject to the provisions of sect ions 18 3 an d 18 4 l egal procee dings pendi ng immediately befo re t he com ing i nto
force of th is C onstitu tion before an y C ourt, inclu ding civ il proceed ing s by or ag ain st the Gov ernment, sh all no t b e
affected b y the co ming in to force of this Constitu tio n an d may b e co ntinu ed acco rding ly.
Appeals. 18 3. An y proceed ing s pending immed iately before th e en try in to force of this Con stitu tion before th e existin g High
Court or a ny proceedi ngs on a ppeal from that Court s o pendi ng be fore t he existing Court of Ap peal before the
Sup rem e Co urt m ay b e con tinu ed after th e en try in to force of th is C onstitu tio n b efore t he High Court or th e Cou rt of
App eal or th e Sup rem e Co urt estab lish ed by th is Con stitu tio n as t he case may b e.
Jurisdiction of C ourts. 18 4. (1) On and a fter the 14th day of Ju ne 1978, no Court having jurisdi ction under the laws of Si erra Le one shall, by
virtue of the Colonial an d Other Ter ritories (Di vorce J urisdictio n) Act, 19 26 to 1950 , hav e jurisd iction to make a
decree for the dissol ution of a m arriage, or as incide ntal thereto t o m ake an order as t o any m atter, unle ss proc eedi ngs
for th e d ecree were in stitu ted b efore th e commen cement o f th is C onstitu tio n.
(2) Ex cep t as prov ided by su bsectio n (1) and subj ect to an y prov isio n to the con trary wh ich m ay b e m ade on or af ter
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the co mm encemen t o f th is C onstitu tion by or und er an y law m ade by an y leg islatu re estab lish ed for Si erra Leon e, all
courts h aving jurisd ictio n un der the laws of Sierra Leon e shall on an d af ter th at day have th e sam e jurisdictio n und er
the said Acts as th ey wou ld hav e had if t his Co nstitu tion had not been passed .
(3) T he refe ren ce in s ubsectio n (1) to procee din gs for the dissolutio n of a marriage i nclu des refe rence s to
procee dings fo r such a decree of pres um ption of deat h and di ssol ution of m arriage as is aut hori sed by sect ion 1 of the
Matrim oni al Causes Act , 1950.
Fina nce. 18 5. Th e Pub lic Fund s kn ow n as th e Con solid ated Fund an d th e Con ting encies Fun d estab lish ed by th e ex isting
Co nstitu tion shall resp ectiv ely con tin ue in b eing as th e Con solid ated Fund and th e C onting encies Fu nd estab lish ed
resp ectiv ely by sectio ns 111 an d 116 of th is Co nstitu tion .
Fina ncial Aut horization. 18 6. Ev ery paymen t requ ired or au thorised to be m ade ou t of a Pub lic Fund under an y law in fo rce immed iately
before th e co mmencement of this Con stitu tion is hereb y ch arg ed on th at Fun d.
Official Seals, etc. 18 7. The Public Seal, the seal s of the Hi gh C ourt, t he Cour t of Appeal and the Suprem e Court, t ogether with an y
duplicates the reof and a ny other official sea l, as well as any p rescr ibed forms in use un der an y law in fo rce
immed iately b efore th e co mmencement of this Con stitu tion m ay b e em ployed on an d after th at date b y th e
corresp ond ing autho rities under an y law i n fo rce at th e said co mm encement and con tain ed in th e ex isting law.
Conti nua tion of the Police F orces Act No. 7 of 196 4.
18 8. The Sierra Leone Police Force esta blished by t he Po lice Act, 19 64 an d in being im med iately b efore th e
commen cem ent o f th is C onstitutio n shall con tin ue in being therea fter and be deem ed to be the Police Force of t he
Rep ublic of Si erra Leon e and an y law in force i mmediatel y before th e commen cement o f th is C onstitu tio n in relatio n
to the said Poli ce Force s hall have effect acc ordingly.
Conti nua tion of the Milita ry Forc es Ac t No. 34 o f 1961.
18 9. Th e Repub lic of Sierra Leo ne Military Fo rces estab lish ed b y the Sierra Leo ne Milit ary Fo rces Act, 19 61 in
bei ng i mmediately befo re t he com mencem ent of this Const itution shal l continue in bei ng therea fter a nd be deem ed t o
be th e Military Forces of th e Rep ublic of Si erra Leon e, and an y law i n force immed iatel y b efore th e commen cement
of this C onstitution in relation to the said M ilitary Forces sh all ha ve e ffec t accordingly.
Repeal of A ct No. 12 of 1978 a nd Savings. 19 0. The C onst itution of Si erra Leo ne, 1978 is here by repea led i n so fa r as it affect s the laws of Si erra Le one:
Provi ded t hat notwithstanding such re peal, al l laws m ade by vi rtue of any aut hority therei n c ont ained s hall
rem ain in fu ll force and effect to th e sam e ex ten t as if t hat C onstitu tion had no t b een rep ealed .
Reprint. 19 1. Th e Presi dent m ay with in a period of three years fro m th e co ming into force of th is Co nstitu tion cau se these
prov isio ns to be rep rinted and pu blish ed wit hou t the tran sitio nal prov isio ns in this Con stitu tio n.
Commencement of A ct No. 6 of 1 991. 19 2. Th is Act shall co me in to operation on the 1 st day of Oct ober, 19 91 , follo wing th e issu ance of a certi ficate by the
Sp eak er in the form set o ut in the Fo urth Sched ule that th e prov ision s of sectio n 55 or t he existin g Con stitu tio n have
been co mplied with .

FIRST SCHE DUL E
TERRITOR Y OF SIERR A LEONE

The a rea i n We st Af rica l ying bet ween t he sixth a nd t enth degrees of north latitude a nd the tenth a nd fourteent h
degrees of west lo ng itu de an d bo und ed on the no rth by th e boun dary lin e delimited under th e pr ov isions of th e
An glo-Frenc h Convention dat ed t he twenty-eight day of June, 18 82 , th e An glo-Fren ch Ag reem ent d ated th e twen ty-
first day of Janu ary, 189 5, and th e no tes ex chang ed betw een His Britannic Majesty’ s Principal Secreta ry of State for
For eign Af fai rs an d t he Am bassad or of the Fre nch Republ ic, an d dat ed the si xth day of July, 1 911, and on the So uth
by th e An glo-Lib erian boun dar y lin e delimited under th e pro visions of the Anglo-Lib erian Conv entio ns dated the
elev enth day of Nov ember, 18 85 and th e twen ty- first day of Jan uary, 19 11 .

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SECOND SC HEDUL E
PRESIDE NT’S OATH

“I do hereby (in th e n ame o f Go d swear) (so lem nly a ffirm ) th at I wi ll at all ti mes well and tru ly
disch arge th e du ties of th e offi ce of th e Presid ent of th e Repu blic of Sierra Leon e acco rding to law, t hat I will
preserv e, sup port, uph old, m aintain and defen d th e C onstitu tio n of th e Repu blic of Sierra Leon e as by law
estab lish ed, and th at I will do righ t to all m anner of peop le acco rding to law, witho ut fear or favo ur, affectio n or ill-
will. (So help me God .)”

THIRD SC HE DUL E

Oath of th e Vi ce-Presid ent, Ministers and Deputy Ministers, Attorney-Gene ral a nd Minister of J ustic e, Sec retary to
the Preside nt, Secret ary to the Cab inet, So licito r-Gen eral, Director of Public Prosec utions, Mem bers of the Electoral
Commissi on, t he S peaker , M embers of Parl iament, A udi tor-Ge neral , M embers of the P ublic Servi ce C ommissi on,
the C hief Justice an d J udges of the Su peri or Court of Ju dicature, M embers o f the Judi cial and Le gal Se rvice
Commission, Me mbers of t he Police C ounc il, Me mbers of the Defe nce C ouncil.
OAT H OF THE SPE AKER
“I do hereb y (in th e name of God swear) (so lem nly affirm ) th at I will b ear tru e faith an d
alleg iance to the Repu blic of sierra Leon e as by law esta blish ed; that I will faith fully and co nscien tiou sly d isch arge
my d uties as Sp eak er of Parlia ment, and that I will do right to all m anner of peop le in acco rdance with the
Co nstitu tion of Sierra Leo ne an d uph old th e laws and cu stom s of Parliam ent withou t fear or fav our, affectio n or ill-
will. (So help me God .)”
OAT H OF M EMBER OF PA RLIAM ENT
“I ha ving bee n elect ed a M ember of Parl iament do here by (in t he nam e of Go d s wear )
(so lem nly affirm ) th at I will bear tru e faith an d alleg iance to th e Repub lic o f Sierra Leo ne as by law est ablish ed, that
I will upho ld an d d efen d th e Co nstitu tion of Sierra Leo ne, and th at I will faith fully and co nscien tiou sly d isch arge th e
dut ies of a M ember of Parl iament. (S o hel p me Go d.)”
THE JUDIC IAL OAT H
“I do he reby (in the na me of G od swe ar) (s olem nly affirm ) th at I wi ll faith fully and tru ly
disch arge th e du ties of th e offi ce of and that I w ill suppo rt and upho ld the Con stitu tion of Sie rra
Leon e as by law estab lish ed, and th at I will d o right to all man ner of peop le after th e laws an d usag es of Sierra Leo ne
with ou t fear or fav our, affecti on or ill-will. (So help m e God .)”

FOURTH SC HEDUL E
DECL ARAT ION OF COM PLIA NCE

I William Niak a Steph en Con teh, Officer of t he Ord er of t he Repu blic of Sierra Leon e, Speak er of th e Parlia ment of
Sierra Leon e, do hereb y certify th at a Bill entitled “Th e Constitu tio n of Si erra Leon e, 199 1” was first introd uced by
the Hon our able Ab du lai Osman Conteh, Officer of th e Order of t he Re public of Sierra Leone , Attorney -Ge neral a nd
Minister o f Justice of Sierra Leone in the Fi fth Ses sion of the Thi rd Parl iament of Si erra Leo ne on the 4th day of
June, 19 91 , th en passed th e Fi rst Read ing, the Second Readin g and th e Commi ttee Stag e (with certain amen dments
made t heret o) and that on the 1st day of Jul y, 1 991 the sai d Ho nourable Abdulai Osman C ont eh, Of ficer of t he Or der
of the R epu blic of Si erra Le one, At torney-General a nd Minister of J ustice of Si erra Le one, re ported to t he House that
the Bill en titled “Th e Constitu tio n of Sierra Leon e, 19 91 ” passed th e House with certain amendments.
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81
I further certify that on the 3rd day of August 1991, the said bill entitled “The Constitution of Sierra Leone, 1991” in
accordance with the provisions of sub-section (3) of Section 55 of the Constitution of Sierra Leone, 1978 (Act No. 12
of 1978), has been submitted to and been approved at a Referendum conducted on the 23rd, 26th, 28th and 30th days
of August, 1991 and been approved with the majority requir ed under sub-section (4) of Section 55 of the Constitution
of Sierra Leone, 1978.
I further certify that all the appropriate provisions of Section 55 of the Constitution of Sierra Leone, 1978 have been
complied with and that the said Bill entitled “The Constituti on of Sierra Leone, 1991” may therefore be submitted to
His Excellency the President for his assent and signature.
Given under my hand this 3rd day of September , 1991.
W.N.S. CONTEH
Speaker.
Passed in Parliament this 1st day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and ninety-one.
M.T. BETTS-PRIDDY
Acting Clerk of Parliament.
THIS PRINTED IMPRESSION has been carefully compared by me with the Bill which has passed Parliament and found
by me to be a true and correctly printed copy of the said Bill.
M.T. BETTS-PRIDDY
Acting Clerk of Parliament.