The legal system of Sierra Leone
English common law with a formally dual structure: the general law runs in the Western Area and the former Protectorate operates local courts applying customary law. The post-conflict period produced substantial rights and land reform, and the 2022 Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Act is a significant recent statute.
Legal tradition
Sierra Leone belongs to the mixed (common law and customary law) tradition. English common law with a formally dual structure: the general law runs in the Western Area and the former Protectorate operates local courts applying customary law. The post-conflict period produced substantial rights and land reform, and the 2022 Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Act is a significant recent statute.
How power is divided
Executive president, unicameral Parliament including twelve paramount chiefs, and an independent judiciary headed by the Chief Justice.
Where law comes from
- Constitution
- Supreme law; section 171(15) voids inconsistent enactments.
- Acts of Parliament
- Primary legislation.
- Received common law and equity
- English rules in force at reception, as developed locally.
- Customary law
- Applied by local courts outside the Western Area.
- Subsidiary legislation
- Statutory instruments and by-laws.
The legal profession
Fused; admission follows a law degree and the Sierra Leone Law School, with enrolment at the Bar administered under the Legal Practitioners Act.
Law by topic in Sierra Leone
- Employment & LabourThe Employment Act 2023 replaced the colonial-era Regulation of Wages and Industrial Relations ActThe Employment Act 2023 is a comprehensive modern statute replacing the 1971 framework. It codifies written contracts, hours, leave, termination for valid reason, redundancy consultation, anti-discrimination and maternity protection, and it strengthened the labour inspectorate.
- Data Protection & PrivacyNo comprehensive data protection statute; sectoral rules and a cybersecurity act applySierra Leone has not enacted a general data protection law. Personal data is addressed indirectly through the Cybersecurity and Cybercrime Act 2021, the constitutional privacy guarantee, and sectoral banking and telecommunications rules, so there is no data protection authority or general lawful-basis requirement.
- Criminal LawReceived English common law and colonial statutes, with the death penalty abolished in 2021Sierra Leone has no consolidated criminal code; offences derive from received English common law, the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and later local statutes. The Abolition of the Death Penalty Act 2021 removed capital punishment entirely, replacing it with a minimum thirty-year term or life imprisonment.
- Family LawStatutory, customary, Muslim and Christian marriage, with 2007 reform statutes governing all fourFour marriage regimes coexist. The Registration of Customary Marriage and Divorce Act 2007 brought customary marriage into a registration system and set 18 as the minimum age with consent requirements; the Devolution of Estates Act 2007 gave surviving spouses and children statutory inheritance rights against customary exclusion.
- Constitutional LawThe 1991 Constitution, restored after the civil war, with a dual system of general and chiefdom governanceThe Constitution of Sierra Leone 1991 survived the 1991-2002 civil war and remains in force. It provides a presidential system with a unicameral Parliament that includes twelve Paramount Chiefs, and it preserves customary law in the provinces alongside the general law of the Western Area.
- Tax LawIncome Tax Act 2000 with a 25% standard company rate and GST at 15%The Income Tax Act 2000 governs income taxation, with the standard corporate rate at 25% and higher rates for mining. The Goods and Services Tax Act 2009 introduced GST at 15%, replacing a cascade of sales taxes, and the National Revenue Authority administers both.
- Human RightsChapter III rights, a post-conflict Human Rights Commission, and full abolition of the death penaltyChapter III of the 1991 Constitution guarantees justiciable rights enforced by the Supreme Court under s.28. The Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone was created in 2004 on the recommendation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the death penalty was abolished for all offences in 2021.
- Immigration & NationalityImmigration Act 2000 as amended, with ECOWAS free movement and work permit quotasEntry and residence are governed by the Immigration Act and administered by the Immigration Department. Non-ECOWAS nationals require visas, obtainable on arrival or through the electronic system, and foreign employees require work permits from the Ministry of Labour. ECOWAS nationals enter visa-free for 90 days.
- Business & CorporateCompanies Act 2009 with a Corporate Affairs Commission and simplified small-company rulesThe Companies Act 2009 modernised registration and governance, permitting private companies with reduced formalities and creating the Corporate Affairs Commission as registrar. The Business Registration Act regime and later amendments were aimed at improving Sierra Leone's ease-of-doing-business position.
- Property & LandA dual land system: freehold in the Western Area, customary tenure in the provincesLand law divides territorially. In the Western Area land may be held in freehold and is registered under the general law; in the provinces land is vested in communities and administered by Paramount Chiefs, and non-natives historically could obtain only leasehold. The Customary Land Rights Act 2022 reformed provincial tenure.
- Civil ProcedureHigh Court Rules 2007 on the English model, with local courts applying customary procedureCivil litigation follows the High Court Rules 2007, modelled on English practice with writs, pleadings, discovery and interlocutory applications. Local courts in the provinces apply customary procedure with lay adjudicators, and appeals run through District Appeal Courts into the general court system.
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