Section 29: Public Emergency.

(1) Whenever in the opinion of the President a state of public emergency is imminent or has commenced, the President may, at any time, by Proclamation which shall be published in the Gazette, declare that— a. a state of public emergency exists either in any part, or in the whole of Sierra Leone; or b. a situation exists which, if it is allowed to continue, may lead to a state of public emergency in any part of or the whole of Sierra Leone. (2) The President may issue a Proclamation of a state of public emergency only when— a. Sierra Leone is at war; b. Sierra Leone is in imminent danger of invasion or involvement in a state of war; or c. there is actual breakdown of public order and public safety in the whole of Sierra Leone or any part thereof to such an extent as to require extraordinary measures to restore peace and security; or d. there is a clear and present danger of an actual breakdown of public order and public safety in the whole of Sierra Leone or any part thereof requiring extraordinary measures to avert the same; or e. there is an occurrence of imminent danger, or the occurrence of any disaster or natural calamity affecting the community or a section of the community in Sierra Leone; or f. there is any other public danger which clearly constitutes a threat to the existence of Sierra Leone. (3) Every declaration made under subsection (1) shall lapse— a. in the case of a declaration made when Parliament is sitting at the expiration of a period of seven days beginning with the date of publication of the declaration; and b. in any other case, at the expiration of a period of twenty-one days beginning with the date of the declaration, unless it has in the meantime been approved by or superseded by a Resolution of Parliament supported by the votes of two-thirds of the Members of Parliament. (4) A declaration made under subsection (1) may at any time before being superseded by a Resolution of Parliament be revoked by the President by Proclamation which shall be published in the Gazette, and all measures taken thereunder shall be deemed valid and lawful and shall not be enquired into by any curt or tribunal. (5) During a period of public emergency, the President may make such regulations and take such measures as appear to him to be necessary or expedient for the purpose of maintaining and securing peace, order and good government in Sierra Leone or any part thereof. (6) Without derogating from the generality of the powers conferred by subsection (5) and notwithstanding the provisions of this Chapter, the regulations or measures may, so far as appears to the President to be necessary or expedient for any of the purposes mentioned in that subsection— a. make provision for the detention of persons, the restriction of the movement of persons within defined localities, and the deportation and exclusion of persons other than citizens of Sierra Leone from Sierra Leone or any part thereof; b. authorise— i. the taking of possession or control on behalf of the Government of any property or undertaking; ii. the acquisition on behalf of the Government of any property other than land; c. authorise the entering and search of any premises; d. amend any law, suspend the operation of any law, and apply any law with or without modification: Provided that such amendment, suspension or modification shall not apply to this Constitution: e. provide for charging, in respect of the grant of issue of any license, permit, certificate or other document for the purpose of the regulations, such fees as may be prescribed by or under the regulations; f. provide for payment of compensation and remuneration to persons affected by the regulations; g. provide for the apprehension, trial and punishment of persons offending against the regulations; h. provide for maintaining such supplies and services as are, in the opinion of the President, essential to the life and well-being of the community: Provided that nothing in this subsection shall authorise the making of regulations during a period of public emergency for the trial of persons who are not members of defence forces by military courts. (7) The payment of any compensation or remuneration under the provisions of such regulations shall be a charge upon the Consolidated Fund. (8) Regulations made under this section shall apply to the whole of Sierra Leone or to such parts thereof as may be specified in the regulations. (9) Regulations made under this section may provide for empowering such authorities or persons as may be specified in the regulations to make Orders and Rules for any of the purposes for which the regulations are authorised by this Constitution to be necessary or expedient for the purposes of the regulations. (10) a. Every regulation or measure taken under this section and every order or rule made in pursuance of such a regulation shall, without prejudice to the validity of anything lawfully done thereunder, cease to have effect ninety days from the date upon which it comes into operation unless before the expiration of the period, it has been approved by resolution passed by Parliament. b. Any such regulation, order or rule may, without prejudice to the validity of anything lawfully done thereunder at any time be amended or revoked by the President. (11) Subject to the provisions of subsections (7) and (8) of section 23, every regulation made under this section and every order or rule made in pursuance of such a regulation shall have effect notwithstanding anything inconsistent therewith contained in any law; and any provision of a law which is inconsistent with any such regulation, order or rule shall, whether that provision has or has not been amended, modified or suspended in its operation under any Act, cease to have effect to the extent that such regulation, order or rule remains in force. (12) A declaration made under subsection (1) that has been approved by or superseded by a resolution of Parliament in pursuance of subsection (2) shall, subject to the provisions of subsection (3), remain in force as long as that resolution remains in force. (13) A resolution of Parliament passed for the purpose of this section shall remain in force for a period of twelve months or such shorter period as may be specified therein: Provided that any such resolution may be extended from time to time by a further such resolution, supported by the votes of two-thirds of Members of Parliament, each extension not exceeding twelve months from the date of the resolution effecting the extension; and any such resolution may be revoked at any time by a resolution supported by the votes of a simple majority of all the Members of Parliament. (14) Any provision of this Section that a declaration made under subsection (1) shall lapse or cease to be in force at any particular time is without prejudice to the making of a further such declaration whether before or after that time. (15) Every document purporting to be an instrument made or issued by the President or other authority or person in pursuance of this section, or of any regulation made thereunder and to be signed by or on behalf of the President or such other authority or person, shall be received in evidence, and shall, until the contrary be proved, be deemed to be an instrument made or issued by the President or that authority or person. (16) The President may summon Parliament to meet for the purpose of subsection (2) notwithstanding that Parliament then stands dissolved, and the persons who were Members of Parliament immediately before the dissolution shall be deemed, for those purposes, still to be Members of Parliament but subject to the provisions of 79. of this Constitution (which relates to the election of the Speaker of Parliament), without prejudice to the provisions of section 85 of this Constitution (which relates to the prolongation of the life of Parliament during a period of public emergency). Parliament shall not when summoned by virtue of this subsection transact any business other than debating and voting upon a resolution for the purpose of subsection (2). 17. During a period of detention— a. if any person who is detained in such a case as is mentioned in paragraph (a) of subsection (6) and who is not released so requests at any time not earlier than thirty days after he last made such a request during that period, his case shall be reviewed by an independent and impartial tribunal established by law, comprising not more than three persons from amongst persons of not less than fifteen year's standing entitled to practise in Sierra Leone as legal practitioners; b. the Chairman of the tribunal, set up under paragraph (a) shall be appointed by the Chief Justice, and the two other members shall be nominated by the Sierra Leone Bar Association; c. on any review by a tribunal in pursuance of paragraph (a) of the case of any detained person, the tribunal may make recommendations concerning the necessity or expediency of continuing his detention to the authority by whom it was ordered, but unless it is otherwise provided by law, that authority shall not be obliged to act in accordance with any such recommendation. (18) Nothing contained in or done under the authority of any law shall be held to be inconsistent with or in contravention of this section to the extent that the law in question authorises the taking during a period of a state of public emergency of measures that are reasonably justifiable for the purpose of dealing with the situation that exists immediately before and during that period of a state of public emergency.