Liberia News: “Hope for Justice: Liberian Government Advances War and Economic Crimes Court”

Monrovia-May-06-2024-TNR:Several war victims of the nearly 14 years of civil unrest in Liberia have spoken out on the strives being made by the Liberian Government in ensuring justice for the over 250,000 Liberians as well as foreign nationals who lost their lives and those who suffered the scars of the conflict.

Recently, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai affixed his long-awaited signature to the resolution signed by members of the Legislature for the establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court in Liberia. With the signing of this document, Liberians who were affected as a result of the conflict have expressed excitement over the latest news of the historic signing of the resolution by President Boakai.

The establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court became a reality when the Liberia Legislature recently signed a joint resolution on the establishment of the court and sent to President Boakai for his approval.

Money Liberians were calling on President Boakai to ensure that the war and economic crimes court are established including the United States Government.

With the continuous calls by Liberians including some warlords for the war and economic crimes court to be established President Boakai a day before his departure to the United States of America with an astonishment to the public, signed the much-talked about resolution thus paving the way for the court to be established.

Following the signing of the resolution by the Liberian Leader, many Liberians including victims of the civil war have hailed the President for taking such critical decision in the best interest of the country’s recovery process.

Some Liberians who welcomed the President’s decision described his decision as a new day in the history of Liberia and gone are the days when people committed crimes and went with impunity.

Recently President Boakai signed the much-talked resolution for the establishment of the War an Economic Crimes Court in Liberia.

During the signing of the resolution, President Boakai signed Executive Order 131 establishing the Office of the s War and Economic Crimes Court.

The Liberian leader said the signing of the resolution and the establishment of the court will end impunity in Liberia as thousands of Liberians as well as well as foreign nationals lost their lives during the country’s nearly 14 years of civil conflict that devastated every fabric of the nation.

Now that the War and Economic Crimes Court resolution has been signed by the Liberian President with an Executive Order establishing the Office of the War and Economic Crimes Court, all is now set for the process of introducing a Bill at the Legislature to kickstart the process.

Liberians have since anticipated the establishment of War and Economic Crimes Court in Liberia since the end of the devastating civil war, but succeeding administrations including the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and George Weah administrations refused to act on the establishment of the court.

The signing of the resolution is a major achievement for the Boakai administration fulfilling one of his many promises to the Liberian people.

Recently, the Liberian Senate’s Plenary unanimously signed a Joint Resolution calling for establishing a War and Economic Crimes Court to end Liberia’s culture of impunity. The resolution earlier signed by majority members of the House of Representatives was forwarded to the Liberian Senate, craving its concurrence upon a thorough review.

28 of the 29 members of the Senate affixed their signatures to the document on Tuesday, 9 April 2024, including Nimba County Senator Prince Y. Johnson and Grand Gedeh County Senator Thomas Yaya Nimely.

Both men have been fierce opponents of the establishment of the court in recent weeks, often claiming that it will not solve Liberia’s problems.

For decades, Liberians have been requesting the establishment of the war and economic crimes court to ensure accountability for those responsible for atrocities and economic crimes committed during and after the country’s civil war. Approximately 250,000 lives were lost during Liberia’s civil conflict, and properties worth millions of dollars were destroyed.

Economic crimes and other abuses continue in the country even after the war because there has been no precedent to deter these crimes.