Section 137, The Public Elections Act, 2012

(1) Pursuant to subsection (3) of section 131 of the Constitution, there is hereby established a division of the High Court to be known as the Election Offences Court. (2) The Election Offences Court shall sit in such places in Sierra Leone as the Chief Justice may determine and shall be presided over by– (a) a High Court Judge; or (b) a retired Judge of the Superior Court of Judicature; or (c) a barrister or solicitor who is qualified to hold office as a High Court Judge. (3) The Election Offences Court has jurisdiction to try any election offence under this Act. (4) A defendant in a trial before the Election Offences Court may be represented by the counsel of his own choice. (5) A trial before the Election Offences Court shall be by summary procedure and bail shall be at the absolute discretion of the (6) All trials by the Election Offences Court shall be by judge alone and shall be concluded not later than six months after the establishment of the Court under this section. (7) A person convicted of an offence under this Act may appeal to the Court of Appeal. (b) he does not have consent to access by him of the kind in question to the program or data from a person who is so entitled. (5) References to a program or data held in a computer include references to a program or data held in a removable storage medium which is for the time being in the computer; and a computer is to be regarded as containing a program or data held in that medium. (6) A modification of the contents of a computer takes place if, by the operation of a function of the computer concerned or any other computer– (a) a program or data held in that computer concerned is altered or erased; or (b) a program or data is added to its contents, and an act which contributes towards causing that modification shall be regarded as causing it. (7) A modification is unauthorised if the person whose act causes the modification– (a) is not himself entitled to determine whether the modification should be made; and (b) does not have consent to the modification from a person who is so entitled. (8) References to a program include references to part of a program. PART XIII–ELECTION PETITIONS AND CIVIL PROCEEDINGS