High Court To Rule on SLAA Dispute
The High Court in Freetown has established a strict timetable for written submissions in the ongoing dispute over the Sierra Leone Athletics Association’s (SLAA) leadership and voting rules.
Presiding over the case at the Guma Building, Justice Alhaji Mohamed Momoh Jah Stevens ordered lawyers for the applicants to file their legal arguments by November 10. Defense counsel must submit their response by November 19, with proceedings adjourned to November 10 at 9:30 a.m.
The legal challenge, brought forward by applicants led by Martin Momoh Bangura, stems from an Extraordinary Congress held in Bo on July 17 and 18. Bangura and his co-applicants contend that several members and clubs were improperly excluded from participating as voting delegates.
Central to the lawsuit is how the SLAA Constitution is applied. The applicants argue that the executive improperly invoked Article 16 to bar delegates, disregarding the longstanding precedent of Articles 8.4(a) and 8.4(b), which had governed elections for more than a decade—including the April 2022 vote that installed the incumbent leadership. They maintain that altering these guidelines requires a formal constitutional amendment approved by the full membership.
The suit also challenges the current executive's mandate to oversee the upcoming December Elective Congress. The applicants assert that the executive’s official term ended on April 9, 2026, and that a temporary extension granted through October 19 under an accord involving World Athletics, the National Sports Authority, and the Ministry of Sports has since lapsed.
Further grievances target an August 13 directive that allegedly locks specific clubs out of the voting process, questions the legal registration of the SLAA Constitution, and raises concerns over the Secretary-General’s continued role while under active investigation.
The applicants are seeking court declarations to annul the proceedings of the Bo congress as illegal and unconstitutional, while invalidating all subsequent directives limiting delegate eligibility.
Named as defendants alongside the association are key SLAA executive members, including Dr. Adikali Kaba Sesay, David Brewah, Aiah Bockarie, David Aruna, Lahai Mansaray, and Harold T. Leigh-Palmer.
As both sides prepare their written briefs, the upcoming December election hangs in the balance pending the court’s decision on the association's governance and constitutional legitimacy.
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