By Feima Kpaka
January 4, 2025: The Management and staff of the Judiciary of Sierra Leone on Friday, January 3, 2025, joined mourners and sympathisers as they paid their last respects to the late Hon. Justice Ansumana Ivan Sesay (JA), who was laid to rest in his hometown of Moyamba Wusha Village, Rotifunk, Moyamba District.
Hon. Justice Ivan Sesay (JA) passed away on Sunday, December 29, 2024, after a brief illness.
In a consolatory message to the people of Rotifunk, the Honourable Chief Justice Komba Kamanda beseeched them to be strong and courageous as they mourn the loss of one of their favourite and industrious sons.
Addressing over a thousand mourners the Hon. Chief Justice said the late man was not only intelligent, hardworking and humble but a strong pillar to the Judiciary whose contributions to the course of justice will forever be remembered.
He said that in honour and recognition of the invaluable service of late Justice Ivan Sesay to the judiciary, senior Judges, Magistrates and Support Staff of the Judiciary of Sierra Leone were present to pay their last respects to a brother, a friend and colleague.
“Besides being friendly to all staff irrespective of status, he was also one of the most trusted judges in the Judiciary. If the passing on of Justice Ivan Sesay was in the hands of the will of man, we would have done everything within our powers to ensure that he stays alive and with us,” the Chief Justice said.
Senior legal practitioner, Mohamed M Kamara Esq. said the Late Hon. Justice Ivan Sesay was one of the strongest pillars in the Judiciary, adding that it would have been nice if he had been around to support his brother.
He ended with a note of assurance to the family that the late man deliberately spent time building relationships and families who would always be there and willing to support the family at all times.
In attendance were other dignitaries and government representatives including the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Alpha Sesay, the Deputy Minister of Mines and Minerals Resources, Umaru Napoleon Koroma, the Director of the Sierra Leone Law School, Dr. Abu Bakarr Bangura, the Executive Director of Legal Aid Board, Claire Carlton —Hanciles and heads of other governmental Parastatals among others.
*Judiciary Holds Solemn Tribute Session in Honour of Late Hon. Justice Ansumana Ivan Sesay*
Earlier, the Judiciary held a solemn tribute session in honour of the late Honourable Justice Ivan Sesay(JA).
The Master and Registrar of the High Court, Elaine Thomas-Archibald said the solemn and tribute session is in recognition of the invaluable service of the late Hon. Justice Ivan Sesay to not only the Judiciary but the country. She described Justice Sesay’s death as a monumental loss to the Judiciary, the legal community and the nation.
In his tribute on behalf of the Bench, Honourable Justice Adrian Fisher (J) described the late Justice Ivan Sesay as an interventionist with a measured character in defence of the rule of law whose sudden death ended 39 years of brotherhood and exceptional friendship and competitor both in sports and the law.
“The Hon. Justice Ivan Sesay was a trail blazer in depicting the mien of a Judge. He is renowned as a quintessential Jurist, who had the demeanour worthy of commendation, a unique characteristic that stood him out in his scandal free and eventful career,” he said adding that his contributions to the legal community have been invaluable as his absence leaves a profound void. He maintained that Justice Sesay’s legal career as an eminent jurist and a distinguished Judge can be characterised as one that was a commitment to ideals and dedication to purpose and service as he embodied and epitomized the rule of law.
Speaking for and on behalf of the Law Officers’ Department, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Osman Kanu Esq. said Justice Ivan’s demise has left an indelible void on the legal community and the hearts of all those who knew him. He said Justice Sesay brought in wide range of experience and a deep sense of humanity to both at the Law Officers Department where he served as a Criminal Consultant and the Judiciary where he served until his death.
Speaking on behalf of the Bar, O. V Robin – Mason Esq. said the late man was a simple, and courteous young man full of zeal and not full of himself but down to earth, with an analytical mindset as a Prosecutor.
Also speaking on behalf of the Bar, Pa Momoh Fofanah Esq. said the legal community has lost an industrious colleague and a committed Public Servant who has passed unto eternity in a hurry. He referred to the late man as a ‘good and tactful legal practitioner’ with stern integrity and a reasonable knowledge of the law.
Speaking on behalf of the Sierra Leone Law School, the Director of the School, Dr Abu Bakarr Bangura said the late Justice Ivan Sesay was a committed tutor who would always gladly clarify things students grappled with, describing him as a brilliant, generous, unassuming and a constant motivator and inspiration to many aspiring Lawyers.
The late Justice Sesay was born on June 4, 1967 in Rotifunk, Moyamba District. He received education at the UMC Primary School Kissy, Walter Schutzmemorial Secondary School Rotifunk, St. Helena Secondary School and the Ahmadiyya Secondary School Kissy. He proceeded to FBC where he read law and obtained an LLB Degree with Honours in 1995, and later proceeded to the Sierra Leone Law School where he succeeded in the Bar exams and was called to the Bar in December 1998.
He served as a researcher in the office of the then Chief Justice Desmond Luke between 1998 to 2000. From then he established a thriving defence practice with his Chambers named Sesay and Partners at Robert Street in Freetown and later worked for NASSIT and the Law Officer’s Department amongst a host of other institutions. He was appointed Justice of the High Court in 2017 and sent to work in Kenema and subsequently elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2019. Until his demise, he was Chairman of the Legal Aid Board and a lecturer at the Sierra Leone Law School and IPAM.
Hon. Justice Anaumana Ivan Sesay is remembered in the Judiciary as an esteemed colleague whose brilliance, humility and dedication to the legal service would be sorely missed.