The High Court has declined to hear an application brought by lawyer Augustine Sorie-Sengbe Marrah and others seeking to stop the Sierra Leone Bar Association (SLBA) from holding its Emergency General Meeting (EGM) scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
The applicants had earlier filed a motion requesting an interim order to restrain the SLBA from proceeding with the meeting, which is intended to nominate and elect representatives of the Bar to the General Legal Council (GLC). They argued that elections should not take place while the legitimacy of the current SLBA executive is the subject of ongoing litigation, warning that doing so could undermine the integrity of the GLC, the statutory regulator of the legal profession.
When the matter came up on Wednesday before Justice A. T. Ganda, JA, counsel for the SLBA objected to the hearing of the application on procedural grounds, stating that they had not been served with the required two clear days’ notice. The applicants responded that they had attempted service late Friday but, failing to reach the respondents, completed service on Monday morning. They also argued that in July 2024, a similar application from the SLBA had been heard without the two-day notice requirement being observed, and urged the court to exercise similar discretion in the interest of justice.
Counsel for the applicants cited the Supreme Court decision in Basma v. Wanza (CIV. APP. 4/2007) to support their position that procedural rules should not override the need for substantive fairness. They further requested, in the alternative, an interim order to preserve the status quo by halting the EGM while the court considers the substantive issues.
Justice Ganda declined both requests, ruling that the application was “unripe for hearing” because the respondents had not yet been afforded adequate time to file their opposition. The judge adjourned the matter to 15 December 2025 and ordered that all necessary papers be served to allow the respondents to respond.
The decision means the SLBA’s Emergency General Meeting will proceed as planned at 3:00 p.m. today at High Court No. 2, Siaka Stevens Street, Freetown. In a notice issued by the SLBA Public Relations Officer, members intending to participate were reminded that only those who have paid their 2025 annual subscription fees will be eligible to attend, vote, or be nominated.
The outcome is expected to have implications for the ongoing internal disputes within the legal profession, including concerns raised by some lawyers who recently broke away from the SLBA to establish the Lawyer’s Society Sierra Leone, citing issues of governance and transparency.
