Bio Sends Constitutional Amendment Bill to Supreme Court for Opinion

President Julius Maada Bio has referred Sierra Leone’s Constitutional (Amendment) Bill to the Supreme Court for a judicial opinion, according to a government statement.

The government said the referral was intended to provide constitutional clarity and support broad national consensus on legislation it described as constitutionally significant.

In the statement, the government quoted President Bio as saying that the Bill’s passage required “broad national consensus” and had to be “underpinned by constitutional clarity.”

Dispute over parliamentary passage

The referral comes after a televised dispute in Parliament during which members of the main opposition APC walked out. The walkout followed the Speaker’s declaration that the Bill had been passed.

The source report said the government had not secured the required two-thirds of all elected MPs attending and voting. The parliamentary disagreement has added to the public scrutiny surrounding the Bill, although the source does not provide the exact number of lawmakers who attended or voted.

The date of the parliamentary vote and the date on which the Bill was referred to the Supreme Court were not provided.

Public concern over constitutional implications

The Constitutional (Amendment) Bill has been the subject of intense public debate in Sierra Leone. Civil society groups, legal experts and political actors have raised concerns about its implications for the country’s democratic governance.

The government described the President’s decision to seek a judicial opinion as “unprecedented.” It said the move reflected his commitment to ensuring that matters of profound national importance are handled “with due diligence, transparency and fidelity to our constitution.”

Some people in Sierra Leone have accused President Bio of seeking to extend his time in power and of trying to prevent opposition parties from having a chance of victory at the 2028 polls. That allegation has not been independently verified in the source report.

The specific provisions contained in the Constitutional (Amendment) Bill were not stated, and no response or opinion from the Supreme Court was available in the supplied information.