Parliament yesterday approved 24 presidential nominees to serve as supreme court judge, Board chairmen, Directors and Board members in various state institutions, but rejected the nomination of Mamie Sesay. Proposing the motion of the committee on appointment and public service to MPs, the deputy majority leader in parliament Hon Sheku Badara Dumbuya of APC said the presidential nominees were interviewed on Wednesday 11 where their educational background and proven abilities were assessed.

Several cheap brands of toothpaste, sold openly along the streets of Freetown and in some Lebanese shops namely ‘Maksam, Maxam, Close Up Gel, Aprea fresh and some others have been discovered to contain the poisonous substance ‘Diethylene Glycol’ which “causes kidney and liver damage (and) ultimately results to death.” These were the chilling words of the Acting Registrar of the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone as he labored to explain ‘the peddling of death’ by petty traders and unscrupulous businessmen. According to the Acting Registrar Wiltshire Johnson a 20ft container of the dangerous toothpaste was imported by Owallah Enterprise of 153 Bai Bureh Road.

The Sierra Leone Police have freed a total of 13 people who were recently arrested following the arrival and forceful landing of an aircraft with some quantity of powder alleged to be cocaine at the Lungi international airport on the 13th July. According to the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Crime Services, Francis Munu, they [police] have decided to release the 13 people because, there was no evidence to prosecute them in the court of law over the alleged cocaine scam.

Section 64 (3) of the 1991 constitution of Sierra Leone was yesterday amended by Parliament to enable the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) prosecute cases on their own. Section 64 (3) states that - All offences prosecuted in the name of the Republic of Sierra Leone shall be at the suit of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice or some other person authorized by him in accordance with any law governing the same.

The newly elected executives of the Sierra Leone Bar Association have called on the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Abdul Serry Kamal, members of Parliament and the Law Reform Commission to take speedy action to ensure that an Employee Act is enacted in Sierra Leone. Briefing Journalists at their secretariat in Freetown yesterday, the Secretary General of the Association Desmond Ngakui said that,

Following the recent outburst of cocaine at the Freetown International Airport, Democracy Sierra Leone (DSL) has said that the investigations into it must leave no stone unturned to bring to book the culprits involved in this heinous crime. He added that, “we expect that some people that have authority over security and that of our airport would be under suspension until investigations are complete”.

An OSD personnel Magnus Amara with police number 11546 attached to Daru police station is currently in police custody at the Regional police headquarters ‘L’ Division Kenema for having sexual relations with a nine years old child, a class three pupil of the Kenema District Education (KDC) primary school along Moiwo street in Kenema. Reports say Magnus Amara is married with his wife a suckling mother.

A four-day regional Seminar on the theme: ‘Unity, Love, Justice and Sincerity’ organized by the Africa Muslim Agency (AMA) Direct Aid has ended in Kenema. In his opening speech the chairman of the ceremony who is also the head of Missionaries of Azhar Mission Sheik Kideri Mohamed welcomed all participants and thanked them for their turn out for the Seminar, saying that any knowledge they will gain during the Seminar will go a long way in building their capacity and there by promoting the Islamic religion.

After receiving issuance of approval in principle within 8 months, the United Bank of Africa (UBA) has finally received a full banking license to operate as a Bank in Sierra Leone with the aim of contributing their quota in modernizing the financial sector and the economy of the country in general.

The Newly constructed female prison has been officially opened and handed over to the authorities in Kenema city. The Prison is located very close to the former state prison at the prison barracks along Maxwell Khobe Street in Kenema. In her contribution the Assistant Inspector General of Police East Elizabeth Turay expressed appreciation to the donors for actualizing their long-term dream of seeing a conducive confinement area for women prisoners