Africa-Press – Sierra-Leone. A High Court Judge, Honourable Justice Augustine K. Musa, has refused to grant an interim injunction that would have halted the planned paramount chieftaincy election in Barri Chiefdom, Pujehun District, Southern Sierra Leone.
The legal bid to stop the election—scheduled for Monday, May 19, 2025—was brought by Lawyer Augustine S. Marrah on behalf of Lahai Bockeria Magona and nine others.
The applicants alleged irregularities in the electoral process and sought the court’s intervention to prevent what they described as a potential abuse of due process and disenfranchisement of taxpayers in the chiefdom.
During the court proceedings, Lawyer Marrah contended that the procedures used by the first three respondents—the Minister of Local Government, the District Officer, and the Provincial Secretary—were alien to the lawful guidelines for conducting paramount chieftaincy elections. He referenced issues in the issuance of tax and Tribal Authority receipts, which he claimed violated established protocols.
Despite arguing that his clients had made multiple efforts to engage the appropriate authorities, including the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, to rectify the alleged procedural flaws, Lawyer Marrah’s application for injunctive relief was ultimately denied.
In his ruling, Justice Musa cited Order 29 (1) of the Annual Supreme Court Practice 1999 (the “White Book”), which outlines the legal requirements for obtaining an interim injunction.
He noted that while the application relied on the exception under sub-rule (3), it failed to meet the necessary condition of attaching a draft or proposed originating summons.
“I must state that in the absence of the originating summons or draft of same which is fundamental to applications of this nature, the orders sought herein should be refused,” the judge ruled.
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