BY MOHAMED M. SESAY
In a press conference held at the residence of the formal Vice President Chief Sam Sumana at Yormadu Lodge, Sam Sumana Drive Imatt Freetown, a Ghanaian Lawyer Professor Raymond Atuguba and a Nigerian Lawyer Femi Falana both being legal representatives of the illegally sacked formal Vice President, have urged the Bio led Government to comply with the ECOWAS Court ruling by paying compensation and end of service benefits to their client Chief Sam Sumana.
In his presentation, Lawyer Femi Falana drew the attention of the government to article 77 of the revised Treaty of the ECOWAS which states that if any Member State fails to fulfill its obligations to the community, the authority may decide to impose sanctions on the Member State.
He further intimated that any Member state who fails in its obligation to the community shall face multiple sanctions which include; suspension of new community loans or assistance; suspension of disbursement of on-going community projects or assistance programmes; exclusion from presenting candidates for statutory and professional posts; suspension of voting rights; and suspension from participating in the activities of the community.
Lawyer Femi Falana also revealed that notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1 of the aforesaid article, the authority of the ECOWAS Community may suspend the application of the provisions of the said article if it is satisfied on the basis of a well-supported and detailed report prepared by an independent body and submitted through the Executive Secretary, that the non-fulfillment of its obligations is due to causes and circumstances beyond the control of the said Member State.
Giving a backdrop to the entire situation, Chief Songu Mbriwa recalled that on the 18th of March 2015, formal President Ernest Bai Koroma summarily sacked Chief Alhaji Sam Sumana as Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone on the claims of Sam Sumana abandoning his office and duties to seek political asylum in the United States Embassy in Freetown.
On the 20th of March 2015, he said Chief Sam Sumana filed papers to the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone in its original jurisdiction pursuant to section 124 and 127 of the 1991 constitution of Sierra Leone. He added that on the 9th of September 2015, Chief Sam Sumana felt aggrieved with the Supreme Court ruling in favor of Ernest Bai Koroma to sack his Vice President which precipitated Chief Sam Sumana to seek legal redress at the ECOWAS Court.
Chief Songu Mbriwa continued that the ECOWAS Court of Justice on Monday the 27th of November 2017, ruled in favor of Sam Sumana that his removal from office as Vice President was unconstitutional and in violation of his human right. He also noted that the Sierra Leone People’s Party also held a press conference on the 28th of November 2017, urging the then ruling APC Government to accept the ECOWAS judgment, and also called on the Attorney General and Minister of Justice by then Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara to resign for such legal blunder.
He concluded by stating that on the 9th January 2019, Chief Sam Sumana received a letter from the former Inspector General of Police Dr. Richard Moigbe withdrawing his security details on the grounds that Chief Sam Sumana is not a retired Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone. On the 14th of January 2019, he also said the Lawyers of Sam Sumana wrote President Bio demanding that all privileges of former Vice President, including arrangements for security, be made continuously available to him noting that, Sierra Leone is bound by the decisions of the ECOWAS Court.
