A/HRC/7/66 page 5 harassment and refused permission to address political rallies in these areas, allegedly at the behest of the then-ruling party. As expected, this created a dangerous dynamic of retaliatory actions and vengeance in the immediate aftermath of the presidential elections. 6. Despite a smooth transition from one civilian leader to another, for the first time in the 46-year political history of the country, tensions remain as a result of scathing criticism from SLPP, which lost power, over the alleged collusion between the National Electoral Commission and the international community to influence the election results in favour of the new ruling party, the All People’s Congress (APC). Predictably, this state of affairs has heightened inter-party tensions and resulted in a significant reduction in the enjoyment of political rights by some members of SLPP, now the main opposition party. By implication, the lack of cooperation and dialogue between the new ruling party and the new main opposition party, which have dominated the political landscape since before independence, has curtailed the space, at least for now, for any meaningful broad-based national consensus vital to creating a dynamic for national political reconciliation, social cohesion and unity. 7. In the course of the year, a number of politically-motivated cases against opposition figures were heard before the law courts, including that of the leader of the opposition party People’s Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC), Charles Margai. In November 2006, Mr. Margai was arrested in the southern regional headquarters town of Bo, following accusations of endangering the life of the then-Vice President, Solomon Berewa. The case was dismissed by the new Government when it came to office. Another case was that of Michael Omrie Golley, former spokesman of the erstwhile Revolutionary United Front (RUF), who was arrested on 12 January 2006, in Freetown, allegedly for plotting to assassinate Mr. Berewa. His trial was adjourned more than 50 times during the year while, at the same time, he complained that he was routinely denied the right to proper medical attention and regular access to family visits or bail. Following the elections and the swearing-in of the President, the Ministry of Justice filed a nolle prosequi in the case, thereby dropping all charges against Mr. Golley, who has since left the country for Great Britain. 8. A comprehensive audit of government assets and programmes conducted by a presidential transitional team, commissioned in September 2007, uncovered widespread abuse and mismanagement of public resources throughout the public service attributed to a number of senior officials of the former Government. President Koroma has decided to refer these findings to the Anti-Corruption Commission for thorough investigation and possible prosecution. Such action by the Government, although justifiable in the context of accountability and critical to zero-tolerance of corruption, risks accentuating the existing political tensions between the ruling party and SLPP. 9. A major challenge of potentially significant implications for peace and stability is the much-reviled 1965 Public Order Act and the emergence of student violence during inter-school sporting activities. Past Governments have unremittingly employed the Act to muzzle dissent, especially by critical journalists, and minimize the growing voice of civil society, human rights advocacy groups and some influential elements in the political opposition. Also of concern is the frequent student violence, especially during inter-school sporting activities. Over the past two months, students from one of the country’s major secondary schools ran violent pitch battles with the police, during which six policemen were seriously injured. Moreover, a number of demonstrations and industrial strikes degenerated into violence and posed an enormous challenge