From Awareness Times Newspaper in
Freetown
Sierra Leone: Halloway Saga - Can Anti Corruption Commission help Bar Association?
By Dr. Sylvia Olayinka Blyden OOR
Jun 25, 2015, 14:14
Initially, I had assumed that the Anti
Corruption Commission (ACC) could help Sierra Leone Bar Association in the
latter’s quest to blatantly whitewash an infamous member of Judiciary, Allan B.
Halloway. My thinking was the Bar could demand for ACC to issue a PUBLIC NOTICE
(to be gazetted of course!) which will say ACC now confesses there was
absolutely no substance in allegation against Halloway that got him arrested
six years ago like a criminal, dragged out of his Chambers in full view of
public, then frog-marched to ACC; for allegedly soliciting and accepting
Le500,000 cash from a female litigant to swing a court case he was presiding
over.
However, on second thoughts, I realize that
nothing can ever really whitewash the allegations of corruption and roguery
hovering around Allan B. Halloway. Why do I say this?
Well, let us leave aside ACC’s allegations of
soliciting and accepting a bribe. If we are to go by version published by Independent
Observer newspaper on Halloway’s behalf for years now and which
Halloway has never disputed, then we can conclude that Judge Halloway possesses
poor judgment and low moral character which does not deserve to be seated on
our sacred Judiciary.
According to Independent Observer
newspaper, Judge Allan B. Halloway knowingly entertained a litigant inside his
chambers behind closed doors; it was just the two of them alone. Take note: the
Judge and the Litigant ALONE behind closed doors. Halloway does not deny this.
What Halloway denies is asking & getting a bribe from the female litigant
during time together - Judge and a Woman sat all alone behind closed doors
inside his chambers.
So the question is whether a judge of required
high moral rectitude will entertain behind closed doors a litigant in a matter
he was directly presiding over?
I submit that if indeed, like Halloway’s friends
at Independent Observer are claiming, the alleged rogue confessed
to have hosted behind closed doors, a female litigant in a matter he was
presiding over, then Halloway should NOT be allowed to continue to preside over
cases at the Judiciary.
Therefore if the above claims by Halloway’s
friends at Independent Observer are true, then the answer to the
question is: ACC will not be able to help the Bar Association to clean
corruption filth off Halloway’s persona.
What all this means for credibility of Judiciary is sad – very
sad. It means in Sierra Leone Judiciary, it is acceptable for a judge to
entertain behind closed doors, litigants in court matters that the judge is
presiding over. So Shameful.
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