Honourable Justice Augustine K. Musa

By Sulaiman Jalloh

The May 2025 Criminal Session of the High Court of Sierra Leone officially opened on Tuesday, May 21, 2025, with 48 criminal cases brought before Honourable Justice Augustine K. Musa. The call over marked the formal commencement of the high court’s criminal calendar for the session, this judicial exercise allows the presiding judge to take the pleas of all accused persons committed to trial by magistrates’ courts, as well as those indicted with the written consent of a judge, where an accused pleads guilty, the judge may proceed directly to sentencing. for not guilty pleas, the cases are adjourned and assigned for full trial before designated judges.

During the opening session, 17 accused persons pleaded guilty to various offences, of these, seven were convicted and sentenced for the unlawful possession of drugs, one of the notable cases involved Sallay Kanu, a mother of six, who was found with 2.1 kilograms of cannabis sativa. In her plea, Kanu told the court she had no intention of engaging in drug trafficking, but had obtained the substance for medicinal purposes, claiming she was advised to use it to treat her asthmatic daughter.

In separate cases, Saffie Fornah and Margaret Bockeria were each charged with unlawful possession of 30 kilograms of Kush, in violation of Section 8(a) of the National Drugs Control Act, 2008 (Act No. 10 of 2008). Similarly, Alfred Aminu and Abdulia Kamara were found in possession of 40 kilograms each, while Alpha Sesay had 30.3 kilograms of the substance. All pleaded guilty.

In a plea for mitigation, defense counsel Cyril Taylor-Younge argued that the convicts were young and had spared the court time and resources by pleading guilty. He appealed for leniency, stating that the accused had learned their lesson and could still contribute positively to society.

Justice Musa acknowledged their youth and remorse but underscored the growing national concern over drug-related offences. He emphasized the Judiciary’s duty to act decisively. Accordingly, all those convicted for drug possession were sentenced to five years imprisonment each, with credit given for time already served in custody.

In a separate case, Mousa Sewa was arraigned for murder, contrary to Section 1(a) of the Offences Against the Person Act, 1861, as amended by the Abolition of the Death Penalty Act, 2022 (Act No. 6 of 2022), he is accused of murdering Massah Massaquoi. Sewa pleaded not guilty, and his case was adjourned for trial, Justice Musa also ordered the remand of Hussein Anter, Jamal Antar, and Sulaiman Barrie, who face a 32-count indictment on charges of conspiracy under Section 28(3)(c) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction Act, 2024 (Act No. 4 of 2024). The trio pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Augustine Momoh, charged with burglary and larceny under Sections 25(1) and 13(a) of the Larceny Act, 1916, pleaded guilty. Due to his poor health, he was sentenced to time already served. Mohamed Sesay, charged with conspiracy to commit housebreaking and larceny, also received a time served sentence.

Pastor Fatoma Tommy Jusu was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment or, in the alternative, a fine of 50,000 Leones for operating a private security service without a valid license.

The State was represented by Lawyer Yusuf Isaac Sesay and a legal team from the Law Officers’ Department, while the accused were defended by Lawyer Cecilia Tucker and her team from the Legal Aid Board, the May 2025 session underscores the Judiciary’s commitment to addressing rising criminal cases, especially drug-related offenses, with both firmness and fairness.

Copy right –Printed in the Expo Times News on Monday, May 26TH, 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)