**The Golden Key and the Rusty Lock: A Case for Judicial Equilibrium**
In the ancient lore of governance, there is a recurring tale of a
Master Architect who commissioned a grand new gate for his city—a gate
designed to swing open at the slightest touch of truth, ensuring that
no citizen remained trapped behind the heavy iron bars of outdated
customs. This gate was the **Criminal Procedure Act of 2024**. It was
forged specifically to replace the heavy, rusted locks of 1965 that
had, for sixty years, kept the spirit of justice in a state of
perpetual shadow.
Yet, in the recent case of *Inspector General of Police v. Zainab
Sheriff*, we find a curious and troubling paradox. While the Master
Architect (our Parliament and Judiciary) has handed the keys of the
2024 Act to every court in the land, it appears that in the
Magistrate’s Court, the old, rusted locks of the 1965 era are still
being forced onto the doors of justice.
**The Gaps in the Bridge**
The Criminal Procedure Act of 2024 was not merely a legislative
revision; it was a promise. It promised a “Bail-First” culture,
especially for non-violent offenses and matters of public expression.
It was designed to ensure that the heavy hand of the
State—imprisonment—is the very last resort, not the first impulse.
When Zainab Sheriff was sentenced to four years and two months, the
public did not just see a celebrity in distress; they saw a gap in the
new bridge we have spent years building. The denial of bail throughout
her summary trial and the subsequent imposition of a maximum custodial
sentence for what is essentially “spoken word” creates a friction that
the 2024 Act was specifically written to lubricate.
**The Master Architect’s Prerogative**
This is where the Chief Justice holds a unique and transformative
power. In March 2026, I watched with professional admiration as the
Chief Justice exercised his powers of Summary Review to free a petty
trader, “Mammy Iye,” whose sentence did not align with the scales of
fairness. That act of judicial grace was more than mercy; it was a
demonstration that the Chief Justice is the “Master Architect” who
will not allow a single crooked pillar to jeopardize the integrity of
the whole Temple of Justice.
I find myself “teasing” the conscience of the high office: If the
Golden Key of Summary Review (Cap 17) could be turned for a petty
trader to correct a minor imbalance, can it not be turned now to
address a sentence that has sent shockwaves through the creative and
legal sectors alike?
The Chief Justice has shown us before that he does not need to wait
for the slow, grinding wheels of a three-year appeal to do what is
right today. He possesses the “Supervisory Jurisdiction” to look at a
case that feels “excessive” and simply say: *“This is not how we use
the 2024 Act.”*
**The Advantage of the 2024 Act**
To the public, the 2024 Act is your shield. It demands that your
liberty is preserved while you are tried. It insists that the
punishment must fit the crime, not the “annoyance” of the prosecutor.
It is a modern, human-rights-centric tool that brings Sierra Leone
into the global spotlight of democratic maturity.
But a tool is only as good as the hand that wields it. If the lower
courts are still using the blunt instruments of 1965, then the 2024
Act is a Ferrari being driven like a tractor.
**A Call for Equilibrium**
Justice is not a statue; it is a living balance. When a Magistrate
leans too far into the shadows of punitiveness, the Chief Justice must
be the one to pull the scales back into the light. By reviewing this
sentence, the Chief Justice would not just be helping one individual;
he would be confirming to the world that the **Criminal Procedure Act
of 2024** is alive, it is functioning, and it is the supreme standard
for every Sierra Leonean—from the petty trader to the household name.
The Master Architect has the key. The public is waiting to see if he
will turn it.
Faithfully,
Mohammed Kroma
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