Constitution

Sierra Leone 1991 Constitution (reinstated 1996, reviewed 2013)

Table of Contents

CHAPTER XIV. TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS

174. Existing Constitution

In this Chapter “The existing Constitution” refers to the Constitution of Sierra Leone, 1978.

175. Effect of Transitional provisions

The transitional provisions of this Constitution shall have effect notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Constitution or any other law.

176. Existing Law

In this Chapter, the expression “existing law” means any Act, rule, regulation, order or other such instrument made in pursuance of, or continuing in operation under, the existing Constitution and having effect as part of the laws of Sierra Leone or of any part thereof immediately before the commencement of this Constitution or any Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom or Order of Her Majesty in Council so having effect and may be construed with such modifications, adaptations qualifications and exceptions as may be necessary to bring it into conformity with this Constitution as if it had been under this Constitution.

177. Application of Existing Law

  1. The existing law shall, notwithstanding the repeal of the Constitution of Sierra Leone Act, 1978, have effect after the entry into force of this Constitution as if they had been made in pursuance of this Constitution and shall be read and construed with such modifications, adaptations, qualifications and exceptions as may be necessary to bring them into conformity with this Constitution.
  2. Where any matter that falls to be prescribed or otherwise provided for under this Constitution by Parliament or by any other authority or person is prescribed or provided for by or under an existing law (including any amendment to any such law made under this section), or is otherwise prescribed or provided for immediately before the commencement of this Constitution by or under the existing Constitution, that prescription or provision shall, as from the commencement of this Constitution have effect with such modifications, adaptations, qualifications and exceptions as may be necessary to bring it into conformity with this Constitution as if it had been made under this Constitution by Parliament or, as the case may require, by the other authority or person.
  3. Subject to the approval of Parliament, the President may, by order made after the commencement of this Constitution but before the first dissolution of Parliament under this Constitution, make such amendments to any existing law as may appear to him to be necessary or expedient for bringing that law into conformity with the provisions of this Constitution or otherwise for giving effect or enabling effect to be given to the provisions of this Constitution.
  4. The provisions of this section shall be without prejudice to any powers conferred by this Constitution or by any other law upon any person or authority to make provision for any matter, including the amendment or repeal of any existing law.

178. Preservation of existing offices

  1. Where any office has been established by or under the existing Constitution or any existing law, and this Constitution establishes or provides for the establishment of a similar or an equivalent office including the office of President, Vice-President, Minister, Member of the Cabinet, Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Deputy Minister or any person who, immediately before the commencement of this Constitution, holds or is acting in the former office shall, so far as is consistent with the provisions of this Constitution, be deemed as from the commencement of this Constitution to have been appointed, elected or otherwise selected to hold or act in the latter office in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution:Provided that—
    1. any person who under the existing Constitution or any existing law would have been required to vacate his office at the expiration of any period or on the attainment of any age shall vacate his office at the expiration of that period or on the attainment of that age;
    2. no alteration made in the functions, powers or duties of any office by this Constitution shall entitle the holder thereof for the purpose of any law with respect to pensions benefits to be treated as if his office had been abolished.
  2. The person who holds the office of President of the Republic of Sierra Leone immediately before the coming into force of this Constitution shall continue to be the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone after the commencement of this Constitution until the first Presidential election is held under this Constitution:Provided that the period served after the commencement of this Constitution shall not count as a term or part of a term for the purposes of subsection (1) of section 46.
  3. The offices of Vice-Presidents under the existing Constitution shall remain in force until the first dissolution of Parliament under this Constitution.
  4. Any person who, by virtue of this section is deemed as from the commencement of this Constitution to have been appointed, elected or otherwise selected to hold or act in any office shall also be deemed as from the commencement of this Constitution to have been appointed, elected or otherwise selected to hold or act in that office, and shall also be deemed to have taken and subscribed any necessary oath under this Constitution.
  5. The High Court of Justice established under the provisions of subsection (4) of section 120 of this Constitution shall be the successor to the High Court in being immediately before the coming into force of this Constitution.
  6. The Court of Appeal established under the provisions of subsection (4) of section 120 of this Constitution shall be the successor to the Court of Appeal in being immediately before the coming into force of this Constitution; and accordingly the Court of Appeal as established by this Constitution shall be bound to follow the decisions on questions of law binding on the Court of Appeal as it existed immediately before the coming into force of this Constitution.
  7. The Supreme Court established under the provisions of subsection (4) of section 120 of this Constitution shall be the successor to the Supreme Court in being immediately before the coming into force of this Constitution.
  8. The persons who immediately before the entry into force of this Constitution were Justices of the Supreme Court, or Justices of the Court of Appeal, Judges of the High Court established under Chapter VI of the existing Constitution shall be deemed to have been appointed respectively Justices of the Supreme Court, Justices of the Court of appeal and Judges of the High Court established by this Constitution.
  9. The person who immediately before the entry into force of this Constitution held the office of Chief Justice of the Judiciary established under sections 100 and 101 of the existing Constitution shall be deemed to have been appointed Chief Justice, and a Justice of the Supreme Court under this Constitution.
  10. A person who is a member of the Public Service Commission established by the existing Constitution may, notwithstanding that by reason of his having held or been nominated for election to any office before the coming into effect of this Constitution, he is disqualified to be appointed as a member of the Public Service Commission established by this Constitution, continue in office under this section as a member of that Commission and be re-appointed thereto upon the expiration of his term of office.
  11. In this Chapter, “pensions benefits” means any pensions, compensations, gratuity, or other like allowances for the holder of that office in respect of his service as a public officer or for the widow, children, dependants or personal representative of such holder in respect of such service, whether or not accruing from a contributory basis.
  12. Reference in this Chapter to the law with respect to pensions benefits includes, without prejudice to their generality, references to the law regulating the circumstances in which such benefits may be granted or in which the grant of such benefits may be refused, the law regulating the circumstances in which any such benefits that have been granted may be withheld, reduced in amount or suspended, and the law regulating the amount of any such benefits.
  13. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Constitution to the contrary, any Commission or Committee of Inquiry in existence immediately before the coming into force of this Constitution may continue in existence until the submission of its report or otherwise dissolved according to law.

179. Existing Parliament

  1. The Parliament constituted by the existing Constitution (hereinafter referred to as “the existing Parliament”) shall be deemed to be the Parliament at the commencement of this Constitution and the existing Members shall be deemed Members thereof and the said Parliament shall stand dissolved not later than twelve months after the commencement of this Constitution.
  2. The Constituencies into which Sierra Leone was divided immediately before the commencement of this Constitution and until other provision is made in that behalf in accordance with this Constitution shall be deemed to be the Constituencies into which Sierra Leone is divided in pursuance of section 38 of this Constitution; and the persons who immediately before the commencement of this Constitution, are the elected Members of the existing Parliament representing these constituencies shall be deemed as from the commencement of this Constitution to have been elected to Parliament in accordance with provisions of this Constitution as the elected Members representing the respective constituencies corresponding to those constituencies and shall hold their seats in accordance with the provisions of subsection (1).
  3. The registers of voters having effect immediately before the commencement of this Constitution for the purposes of elections to the existing Parliament shall, as from the commencement of this Constitution, have effect as if they have been compiled in pursuance of this Constitution.
  4. The persons who, immediately before the commencement of this Constitution, are Members of Parliament appointed by the President pursuant to the provisions in paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of section 43 of the existing Constitution, shall be deemed as from the commencement of this Constitution to be Members of Parliament until the dissolution of Parliament in accordance with the provisions of subsection (1) of this Constitution.
  5. The persons who, immediately before the commencement of this Constitution are the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the existing Parliament shall be deemed as from the commencement of this Constitution to have been elected as Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Parliament in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution and shall hold office in accordance with those provisions.
  6. Until Parliament otherwise provides, any person who holds or acts in any office, the holding of which would under the existing law be a disqualification for election to Parliament, shall be deemed not to be so disqualified as though provisions in that behalf had been made in pursuance of this Constitution.
  7. The Standing Orders of the existing Parliament as in force immediately before the commencement of this Constitution shall until it is otherwise provided by Parliament, be the Standing Orders of Parliament, but they shall be construed with such modifications, adaptations, qualifications and exceptions as may be necessary to bring them into conformity with this Constitution.
  8. Any person who, by virtue of this section, is deemed as from the commencement of this Constitution to have been elected as Speaker or any other Member of Parliament shall be deemed to have taken and subscribed any necessary oath under this Constitution.

180. Delegated Powers and inquiries

  1. Any power that immediately before the commencement of this Constitution is vested in an existing public service authority (that is to say, for example, the President or the Public Service Commission) established by the existing Constitution, and that, under the existing Constitution, is then delegated to some other person or authority shall, as from the commencement of this Constitution and so far as is consistent with the provisions of this Constitution, be deemed to have been delegated to such person or authority in accordance with those provisions.
  2. Any matter that, immediately before the commencement of this Constitution, is pending before an existing public service authority shall, so far as is consistent with the provisions of this Constitution, be continued before the corresponding public service authority established by this Constitution, and any matter that, immediately before the commencement of this Constitution, is pending before a person or authority to whom power to deal with that matter has been delegated by an existing public service authority shall, so far as is consistent with the provisions of this Constitution, be continued before the person or authority to whom that power was delegated:Provided that, where the hearing of a disciplinary proceeding has begun but has not been completed immediately before the commencement of this Constitution, the continued hearing shall not be held before any person unless the hearing that has already taken place was also held before him; and where, by virtue of this provision, the hearing cannot be continued it shall be recommenced.

181. Continuation of matters

Where any matter or thing has been commenced before the coming into force of this Constitution by any person or authority having power in that behalf under the existing law, that matter or thing may be carried on and completed by the person or authority having power in that behalf on or after such commencement and it shall not be necessary for any such person or authority to commence any such matter or thing de novo.

182. Legal proceedings

Subject to the provisions of sections 183 and 184 legal proceedings pending immediately before the coming into force of this Constitution before any Court, including civil proceedings by or against the Government, shall not be affected by the coming into force of this Constitution and may be continued accordingly.

183. Appeals

  1. Any proceedings pending immediately before the entry into force of this Constitution before the existing High Court or any proceedings on appeal from that Court so pending before the existing Court of Appeal or any proceedings on appeal from the Court of Appeal before the Supreme Court may be continued after the entry into force of this Constitution before the High Court or the Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court established by this Constitution as the case may be.

184. Jurisdiction of Courts

  1. On and after the 14th day of June, 1978, no Court having jurisdiction under the laws of Sierra Leone shall, by virtue of the Colonial and Other Territories (Divorce Jurisdiction) Act, 1926 to 1950, have jurisdiction to make a decree for the dissolution of a marriage, or as incidental thereto to make an order as to any matter, unless proceedings for the decree were instituted before the commencement of this Constitution.
  2. Except as provided by subsection (1) and subject to any provision to the contrary which may be made on or after the commencement of this Constitution by or under any law made by any legislature established for Sierra Leone, all courts having jurisdiction under the laws of Sierra Leone shall on and after that day have the same jurisdiction under the said Acts as they would have had if this Constitution had not been passed.
  3. The reference in subsection (1) to proceedings for the dissolution of a marriage includes references to proceedings for such a decree of presumption of death and dissolution of marriage as is authorised by section 1 of the Matrimonial Causes Act, 1950.

185. Finance

The Public Funds known as the Consolidated Fund and the Contingencies Fund established by the existing Constitution shall respectively continue in being as the Consolidated Fund and the Contingencies Fund established respectively by sections 111 and 116 of this Constitution.

186. Financial Authorization

Every payment required or authorised to be made out of a Public Fund under any law in force immediately before the commencement of this Constitution is hereby charged on that Fund.

187. Official Seals, etc

The Public Seal, the seals of the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, together with any duplicates thereof and any other official seal, as well as any prescribed forms in use under any law in force immediately before the commencement of this Constitution may be employed on and after that date by the corresponding authorities under any law in force at the said commencement and contained in the existing law.

188. Continuation of Police Forces

The Sierra Leone Police Force established by the Police Act, 1964 and in being immediately before the commencement of this Constitution shall continue in being thereafter and be deemed to be the Police Force of the Republic of Sierra Leone and any law in force immediately before the commencement of this Constitution in relation to the said Police Force shall have effect accordingly.

189. Continuation of the Military Forces

The Republic of Sierra Leone Military Forces established by the Sierra Leone Military Forces Act, 1961 in being immediately before the commencement of this Constitution shall continue in being thereafter and be deemed to be the Military Forces of the Republic of Sierra Leone, and any law in force immediately before the commencement of this Constitution in relation to the said Military Forces shall have effect accordingly.

190. Repeal of Act No. 12 of 1978 and Savings

The Constitution of Sierra Leone, 1978 is hereby repealed in so far as it affects the laws of Sierra Leone:

Provided that notwithstanding such repeal, all laws made by virtue of any authority therein contained shall remain in full force and effect to the same extent as if that Constitution had not been repealed.

191. Reprint

The President may within a period of three years from the coming into force of this Constitution cause these provisions to be reprinted and published without the transitional provisions in this Constitution.

192. Commencement of Act No. 6 of 1991

This Act shall come into operation on the 1st day of October, 1991, following the issuance of a certificate by the Speaker in the form set out in the Fourth Schedule that the provisions of section 55 of the existing Constitution have been complied with.

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