Justice Jon Kamanda Elected President of the Special Court

5 Nov 2009 11:58 Africa/Lagos

Justice Jon Kamanda Elected President of the Special Court


FREETOWN, November 2, 2009/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Justice Jon Kamanda of Sierra Leone has been elected to a one-year term, effective 1 November, as Presiding Judge of the Appeals Chamber, a post which makes him President of the Special Court for Sierra Leone.


Justice Emmanuel Ayoola of Nigeria was elected Vice President. Justice Ayoola previously served as President of the Special Court from 2004-2005.


Justice Kamanda was educated in Sierra Leone and in the U.K. He trained as a Barrister at the Inns of Court School of Law in London, and was called to the Bar at the Middle Temple in 1975. From 1976-80 he worked as State Prosecutor in the Government Law Office, rising to the rank of Senior State Counsel. In 1980 he entered private practice in criminal law.


He has served as an Appeals Court Justice in the Sierra Leone judiciary since 2004, where he was the Presiding Judge in criminal appeals. He has also served as a High Court Judge in the Civil Division.


In 1982 he was elected to Parliament, and he has served as Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources and Minister of Health.


He was sworn in as a Special Court Appeals Judge in November 2007.





The Special Court is an independent tribunal established jointly by the United Nations and the Government of Sierra Leone. It is mandated to bring to justice those who bear the greatest responsibility for atrocities committed in Sierra Leone after 30 November 1996.


Source: Choisissez un élément.




RECOMMENDED:
Tour of 'Yinka Shonibare