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 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY AND MINISTRY OF JUSTICE (MOJ)
Constitutionally, Constitutionally, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice (AGMJ) is the Principal Legal Adviser to the Government with the mandate to provide effective, efficient and impartial service delivery to achieve justice for all in Sierra Leone. The Law Officers Department is the professional wing of the Ministry whilst the Justice Sector Coordinating Office (JSCO), the Legal Aid Board, the Sierra Leone Law School, and Law Reform Commission, Anti-Corruption Commission, Ombudsman, Administrator General and the Human Rights Commission are supervised by the Ministry.
The Law Officers Department (LOD) is divided into a) the Criminal Prosecutions Division headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, b) the Parliamentary Division with First Parliamentary Counsel as its head and the Civil and Commercial Division lead by the principal State Counsel which includes the International and Constitutional Law Division.
The Law Officers Department is divided into:
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The Criminal Prosecution Division is responsible for prosecution of all criminal offenses in all the Courts; Magistrate Court, High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. In addition to prosecuting matters, the division also provides opinions/ advice to the Sierra Leone Police.
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The Parliamentary Division is responsible for drafting/ amending legislation, Bills, Constitutional and Statutory Instruments emanating from MDAs, as well as advise Government on legal matters. The division is also responsible for the publication of Acts and Statutory/Constitutional Instruments in the Gazette
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The Civil and Commercial is mandated to conduct Civil cases for and against the Government, as well as representing the Government in contracts/agencies, International Legal matters and vet international legal instruments.
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The Sierra Leone Law School was established in 1990 to provide professional legal training for graduates seeking to become members of the legal profession in Sierra Leone. Successful candidates who meet the requirements of the Sierra Leone Law School are issued a Certificate for Call to the Bar by the Council of Legal Education.
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The Legal Aid Board (LAB) is responsible for providing legal assistance and advice to indigenes in criminal and civil proceedings and relevant matters including training in paralegal and entering into cooperation agreement for legal aid
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The Justice Sector Coordination Office (JSCO) was set up in June 2007 to coordinate reforms in the Justice Sector as a means to ensure that gains of political stability after the civil war are complemented by institutional reforms that seek to strengthen good governance. It has the mandate to facilitate and support the implementation of Government’s priority reform within the justice sector through sector wide strategies.
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