The Courts Act (Ámendment) Decree, 1967

N.R.C. Decree No. 56 haFREBDO Sierra Leone The Courts Act (Ámendment) Decree, 1967 A 255 Short title. [26th October, 1967.]Date of Commence Administration of ment. PURSUANT to the Proclamation entitled era Leone (National Reformation Council) Proclamation, I907", published in the Gazette on the 25th of March, 1967, the Naional Reformation Council hereby makes and issues the following Decree : . The Courts Act is hereby amended by inserting Amendment immediately after section 7 thereof the following new section- to section ofAct No. 6 31 of 1965 A 256 No. 56 <Jurisdiction of Magis trate Court extended to Customary Law. The Courts Act (Amendnent)

Jurisdiction conferred upon them by this or any other enactment Magistrates' Courts sitting in the Western Area shall have jurisdiction in all matters con lained in section 13 of the Local Courts Act. (2) Where a Magistrate's Court exercises the jurisdiction conferred on it by this section it shall be composed of at least two Special Justices of the Peace, one of whom shall be the Chairman, sitting with two assessors selected by the Chairman from a Jist of experts in Customary Law drawn up by the Chief Justice. (3) The assessOrs shall advise the Special Justices of the Peace on questions of Customary Law but the decision shall be vested exclusively in the Justices and the Chairman shall record the reasons for their decision. (4) A Magistrate Court composed in accordance with subsection (2) shall adjudicate solely on matters involving Customary Law. (5) Any person aggrieved by any decision of any Magistrate Court exercising the jurisdiction con ferred by subsection (1) may appeal to the Local Appeals Division of the Supreme Court and thereafter to the Appeal Court and any such appeal shall, not withstanding section 1 of the Local Courts Act, be governed by the provisions of sections 31, 32 and 33 of the Local Courts Act. (6) In this section " Special Justice of the Peace means a Justice of the Peace listed by the Chief Justice as an expert in Customary Law.". MADE and IssUED this 24th day of October, 1967. BRIG. A. T. JUXON-SMITH, Chairman, National Reformation Council.