The anticipated start of the trial of Lansana Dumbuya, national secretary general of the All People’s Congress (APC), was abruptly halted today after the presiding magistrate reportedly walked out of the courtroom without formally adjourning the matter.
The courtroom had been packed with party supporters, politicians, and lawyers ahead of the hearing. More than 100 lawyers are said to have volunteered to represent Dumbuya, who faces three counts of incitement and public insult against President Julius Maada Bio.
Prior to the session, the magistrate had directed that the court will accommodate not more than 15 defence lawyers. Reports suggest the walkout followed a disagreement related to this directive. However, lead defence counsel Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara stated that the defence team understood the ruling and had complied accordingly.
Speaking to journalists outside the courtroom, Kamara described the situation as “a sad day for justice in Sierra Leone,” stressing that the legal team had been ready to vigorously defend their colleague but were deprived from doing so.
“The matter was not adjourned formally, and the accused was whisked off without our knowledge,” Kamara said.
He added that the defence will file a petition with the Chief Justice over the incident and warned that they would challenge what he described as an attempt to weaponise the judiciary.
“We will vigorously challenge any institution that will weaponise the judiciary of this country,” he asserted.
APC National Chairman Ousman Foday Yansaneh said the party has exercised “tremendous patience” since Dumbuya was first invited to the Criminal Investigations Department, where he was detained for about 24 hours.
Yansaneh maintained that the handling of the court process did not follow proper procedures for adjourning a matter in open court. He noted that the party is now considering several possible responses, which will be determined by the National Advisory Committee (NAC), the APC’s second-highest decision-making body, at an emergency meeting scheduled for tomorrow.
He also disclosed that the party had previously engaged the Inspector General of Police, assuring authorities that the APC Secretary General was not a flight risk. According to Yansaneh, appeals were also made to the Peace Commission to help ensure due process was followed.
“The first step is to convene an urgent NAC meeting tomorrow to decide the next course of action. We are also calling on our elected representatives in parliament and local councils to respond robustly to how we are being treated,” Yansaneh said.
