ENSURING AN EFFECTIVE DEFENCE PILLAR
 

The Special Court for Sierra Leone is committed to ensuring an effective defence pillar supported by the Registry.  Every suspect and accused in the custody of the Special Court has a right to counsel of his or her choice. However, if the suspect or accused is indigent, he or she is entitled counsel assigned by the Registrar. In order to ensure the highest level of defence counsel, the Registrar’s Defence Support Section will maintain a list of counsel eligible for assignment in accordance with the Rules.

The Special Court maintains that independent counsel require adequate support. Thus, an in-house public defender capacity for the defence is proposed in order to support independent counsel. A high level Public Defender will head the Defence Support Section, representing the interests of the Defence as a whole. The Public Defender will ensure that the Section supports counsel both in terms of research and substantive legal input, and logistical and administrative needs.

The proposed budget includes a high level public defender at D2 level, in balance with the high level permanent representation of the Prosecutor’s Office in Freetown. The Public Defender would undertake a role as advisor, strategist, and representative of the interests of the defence, in effect redressing the balance in terms of the Court’s structure. The Public defender would head the Defence Support Section which has a dual function in (1) supporting administratively the defence counsel in the payment of fees, approval of flights schedules and reimbursements etc. and (2) substantive legal research, preparation and strategy.

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