Sierra Leone set to defy ECOWAS court ruling

28 Novembre 2017

Freetown, Sierra Leone, November 28 (Infosplusgabon) -  Sierra Leone has said it would not comply with the latest ruling of the ECOWAS Court of Justice on sacked Vice President Sam Sumana's case against the government.

The court ruled on Monday that the sacking of the former Vice President of Sierra Leone was illegal and instructed the Sierra Leone government to pay all his remunerations and salary since the sacking in 2015.

A press release issued the same day from the Office of the Attorney General stated: “ The government of Sierra Leone refused to participate in the proceedings and now therefore does not accept nor recognize the decision of the ECOWAS Court in respect of the specific judgment.”

Sam Sumana was Vice President of Sierra Leone from 2007 until he was controversially sacked by President Ernest Bai Koroma in 2015. When the case was taken to court then, the Supreme Court ruled that the President acted within the constitution by sacking his Vice President, a ruling Sumana was not satisfied with.

The Office of the Attorney General advised the government not to take part in the proceedings in Abuja, stressing that the ECOWAS Court does not have the jurisdiction to overturn the decision of the Supreme Court in Sierra Leone.

The government has not announced its next move.

Despite the ruling by the ECOWAS Court, the government of Sierra Leone is not bound to obey it. However, ignoring it would be an embarrassment on the path of government, questioning its will to respect decisions of regional bodies.

FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/SOP/GABON 2017

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