By Emma Black
Chief Justice, His Lordship Honourable Justice Komba Kamanda,
Sierra Leone’s Chief Justice, His Lordship Honourable Justice Komba Kamanda, has issued a directive that no court-ordered execution shall be carried out by the Undersheriff’s office without prior written approval from the designated Supervising Judges, this bold reform is aimed at enhancing transparency, accountability, and public confidence in the judicial process.
Judiciary of Sierra Leone communications chief justice’s chambers, Freetown 6 May 2025 the directive was communicated through an official memorandum issued by the deputy Master and Registrar, Mrs. Huliamatu F. Christian-Moses, and addressed to the undersheriff and all bailiffs nationwide, the Chief Justice emphasized that this new approval process must be formally evidenced by the signature of the respective Supervising Judges.
Speaking on the rationale behind this reform, the chief Justice noted, this measure is not only to improve execution processes but to eliminate exploitative practices and prevent abuse. It ensures that the execution of court orders is fair, standardized, and not used to frustrate justice.
He added that the change will also improve revenue collection for the government and end arbitrary or excessive fees being charged during execution processes.
No execution shall be conducted by the Undersheriff’s office without approval from the Supervising Judges, Approval must be in writing, signed by the Supervising Judges.No sale of property arising from court judgments shall occur without similar approval, all payments made by litigants for execution processes must be receipted with a valid National revenue Authority (NRA) receipt. If any additional fees are paid during execution, they must also be documented with official receipts. Any failure or obstruction in carrying out lawful execution must be reported to the Supervising Judges without delay.
The new policy takes immediate effect and is expected to standardize and streamline the execution of court orders across Sierra Leone, despite widespread praise for the reforms, some judicial staff and citizens have expressed concerns about capacity and logistical readiness, senior staff member at the Decillion Judicial Building, speaking to Expo Times on condition of anonymity, highlighted resource limitations, he noted that the Bailiff department is understaffed and lacks proper equipment and logistical support to carry out large-scale demolitions or enforcements.
There’s a misconception that bailiffs are well-equipped for major operations like evictions or demolitions, the source said, in reality, they often rely on support from the police and sometimes even community volunteers to execute court orders.
A local litigant, whose case has been pending for over five years, said he had arranged for a court-ordered demolition today, only to be told that the process must now wait for dual signatures from two judges.
I’ve spent time and resources preparing for today’s action. Now I’m being told to wait for judicial sign-off. while I support accountability, I hope this won’t delay justice again, he said.
Despite these concerns, many legal professionals have welcomed the reform, viewing it as a necessary step to clean up a historically opaque and sometimes exploitative area of court enforcement, the Judiciary has reiterated its commitment to ensuring timely, fair, and professional delivery of justice, and assured the public that the new system is designed not to delay justice, but to protect it.
Copy right –Printed in the Expo Times News on Friday, May 9th, 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
