“Challenging Time For Court”

-Justice Korkpor Terms Ja’neh’s Impeachment

By R. Jocelyn Wea

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia, Francis Korkpor, says the ongoing impeachment proceeding of Associate Justice Kabineh Ja’neh is a ‘challenging time’ for the Court.

Chief Justice Korpkor further termed as ‘unprecedented’ the impeachment proceeding of Associate Justice Ja’neh.

The Chief Justice spoke at the opening of the March Term of Court held Monday, March 11, 2019 on Capitol Hill in Monrovia.

“It is no secret that the court is going through a challenging time. We cannot ignore this,” Chief Justice Korkpor said.

Korkpor recalled that no impeachment proceeding has ever taken on the form of a full-blown trial before the Liberian Senate since the formation of the country.

Though the Chief Justice has frowned on the impeachment proceeding of Associate Justice Ja’neh, but he is currently presiding over the impeachment trial at the Liberian Senate.

The CJ defended that his role as the presiding officer is mandated by constitution, evoking Article 43 of the Liberian Constitution; which states “When the President, Vice President, or an Associate Justice is to be tried, the Chief Justice shall preside.”

“We have no doubt that the honorable men and women of the Senate will, at the end of the trial, make a fair and just determination based on the findings,” he added.

CJ Korkpor further said, the Constitution provides that the trial be conducted in keeping with due process of law saying “I see my role as the presiding officer to ensure that the trial process is in keeping with due process of law as mandated by the Constitution, but I have heard and read, and continue to hear and read many accusations, innuendoes and speculative views about my role in the process.

The CJ concluded by saying he will remain silent regarding his role in the process, but assures that in the end the truth will emerge.

The CJ statement was further buttressed by Liberian Justice Minister Frank Musa Dean who also termed as ‘unprecedented and a challenging time for the Judiciary’.

Inspect of this, Minister Dean said he is confidence that with devine providence, Ja’neh impeachment process will be stressed along a surface path and that Justice will ultimately be served.

He is quoted as saying “and as you rightly put it, the proceedings are unprecedented; these are indeed challenging times for the Judiciary.”