Justice Jon Kamanda elected Special Court President; Judges End Plenary
Justice Jon Kamanda of Sierra Leone has been re-elected to a one-year term as Presiding Judge of the Appeals Chamber, a post which makes him President of the Special Court for Sierra Leone. Justice Kamanda has served as president since November 2009, succeeding Justice Renate Winter of Austria.
Justice Emmanuel Ayoola of Nigeria was re-elected as Vice President. Justice Ayoola previously served as President of the Special Court from 2004-2005.
The Judges of the Special Court ended their 14th Plenary on Friday at The Hague. During three days of meetings, the Judges discussed legacy and residual issues, and were updated and briefed on the operations of the Court.
The Judges also adopted a resolution expressing “sincere appreciation and gratitude to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the use of its courtroom and other support for the trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor. The trial was moved from the ICC courtroom to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s (STL) courtroom earlier this month.
Justice Kamanda was educated in Sierra Leone and in the UK. 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 Judge of the Appeals Chamber in November 2007.
Outreach and Public Affairs Office, Special Court for Sierra Leone
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