The 21st Post-colonial Attorney General and the 13th Attorney-General and Minister of Justice of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Mohamed Lamin Tarawalley has expressed determination and unmatched optimism in the execution and upholding the ideals of honour and integrity of his office.
He gave this assurance, at the swearing-in ceremony on Friday 21 January 2022 at State House in Freetown.
Mohamed Lamin Tarawalley appointment is recorded as the youngest Attorney General and Minister of Justice in the Republic of Sierra Leone.
“This speaks volume of [the President’s] confidence in young people and unswerving determination to capacitating and building up the needed future human resource of this Country,” remarked the AG in his acceptance speech.
The AG explained that as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of Sierra Leone, who have gained wealth of legal experiences with over twenty years in the legal profession, he served as the Solicitor General and also, opportune to worked with two strong and distinguished Attorneys General whose principles gave him a solid foundation at the S.G’S Office.
The AG said that he is not oblivious and intimidated by the critical challenges of the Office of the AGMOJ especially when the surge in demand for Justice has been endless and seemingly impossible to redress.
“But equally so, I am aware your government and new the direction’s resolve in addressing all concerns in the Justice Sector.”
He further added in the discharge of Justice, the GoSL is not without challenges.
“ I am quite aware of some of these pending challenges such as prolonged pre-trial detention which is still a feature in the criminal justice system due to lack of resources, insufficient State Counsel, Magistrates and Judges despite recent recruitments, overcrowding of the prisons as the country is in dire need of bigger and modern correctional facilities, complaints against the Police which the Independent Police Complaints Board continue to receive and consider coupled with the lack of resources the Board needs to strengthen its capacity and sexual violence against women and girls remained widespread. Also, the political tensions between the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party and the All People’s Congress (APC), the main opposition party still persist.”
The Office of AGMOJ’s core Constitutional and Legal Mandate is to serve as the principal legal adviser and representative of the Govt, and its Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA), so that the citizenry may be better served amidst new challenges and “so this office is needed to be extremely efficient now than before,” the AG stressed.
Adding, “The road that we must pave toward a world of justice, prosperity, and dignity for all may be arduous but achievable.”
The new AGMOJ, also assured that he will judiciously use the authority vested in my office by the Constitution and the mandate you have given me to ensure justice is dispensed rationally and nationally. “I believe that with my team of qualified, experienced and independent professionals we shall collectively achieve our goals and our responsibility to protect the most vulnerable members of nation and ensure that the peaceful resolution of threats to justice and stability prevails.”
In his remark, President Bio said “yours is a task well known to you because you’ve been the Principal Advisor and a professional head of that institution.”
Adding, “It is no mean task and it is a task that is pivotal for us as a government as we try to run the affairs of the state. Good governance, supremacy of the law is important and we want to operate within the confines of the law and look up to you to advise government or myself as we go on with the administration of the state,” he said.
