EDITORIALS
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.