Defense Counsel Frowns at Plaintiff’s Absence
March 1, 2018 By Regina Pratt
Defense Counsel for the presidential candidate of the National Grand Coalition (NGC) Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella yesterday expressed dissatisfaction over the absence of the plaintiff and his lawyer in a Supreme Court petition brought by one David Fornah, an activist of the ruling All People’s Congress Party.
Fornah is challenging the eligibility of Dr. Yumkella to vie as both parliamentary candidate in Constituency 062 in Kambia and presidential aspirant of NGC. He had filed a petition in the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone on February 5th 2018 against Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella as 1st defendant, Attorney-General and Minister of Justice as 2nd defendant, Commissioner of the National Electoral Commission, Mohamed N’fa Alie Conteh as 3rd defendant and NEC as 4th defendant.
The matter was slated to commence before a panel of three judges on Wednesday, February 28, but to no avail.
Court sources said one of the empanelled judges, Justice Adeliza Showers, took ill overnight.
Speaking to Journalists shortly after a meeting with Chief Justice Abdulai Charm, Lawyer Yasmin Jusu-Sheriff expressed dissatisfaction over the unexplained absence of Plaintiff David Fornah and his counsel.
“We have been notified by the Registrar of the Supreme Court that this matter has been adjourned to tomorrow (1st March) due to reasons that have not been explained to us,” she said, adding that counsel for all the defendants were in court.
Lawyer Jusu-Sheriff further observed that it was unfortunate that the plaintiff was not in court, adding that: “We are in the last days of the election campaign and we do not need this kind of distraction only at the end of it that the plaintiff and his counsel are absent.”
The plaintiff is petitioning Dr. Kandeh Yumkella’s candidacy on the alleged grounds that he holds a dual citizenship in violation of section 76 (1a) of Act No 6 of 1991 (Constitution of Sierra Leone) and the Public Elections Act of 2012.