Monrovia – Liberia’s justice system is among many in the world that continues to receive backlashes from the public with many terming it weak, corrupt, and for sale to the highest bidder.
Successive reports have cited case backlogs, shortage of judges and magistrates, limited prosecutorial capacity, and overcrowded prisons.
In the case of 72-year-old ailing Andrew S. Boikpah, his family is in complete despair as a result of slow litigation that spanned over nearly two years in conference room and more than 90 days now since it appeared at the Criminal “C”.
All started when he entered into a lease agreement with one Edwin J. Nyarngo for a parcel of land around the James Spriggs Airfield in Sinkor, on the outskirt of Monrovia.
Prior to the agreement, Boikpah explained that the parcel of land in question was used as gas station, and as such, it contained two tankers beneath the ground.
The tankers, which he narrated, worth a combined value of US$30,000, were surreptitiously removed from beneath the ground by the leaser without his knowledge.
“I reported the matter to my lawyer, and he wrote him for a conference. It took more than a year, in fact nearly two years. During that period, my son passed away. I called and texted him several times, but he and his lawyers never showed up for the conference. My counselor then advised me to sue him, which I did,” explained Boikpah.
With the matter now before the court, the aging ailing man narrated that the matter has never been heard despite admittance by the defendant during pretrial.
“When the matter went to court, at Criminal Court ‘C’ where it has been for over nearly three months, they admitted to having the tanks and asked me to go and get them. But when I went, he showed me a different tank, which I refused to take in exchange of my tank. Despite all these, the court has never heard the case one day. Anytime we get there, there is always a new excuse that the case cannot be called.”
“What pains me most is that someone took my treasure worth $30,000 and the court that supposed to be our refuge does nothing about it. You are making me cry more and my family is dying. Absolutely, I have no other means of survival. I have been sick for very long time and been in Ghana seeking medication. All that I have is gone. I am sick; very sick and no means to cater to my family. That lease is up to 20 years and an optional five years extension. My life is completely miserable, especially for my children and grandchildren. I need help,” Boikpah burst up in cry while explaining to this write at the offices of FrontPage Africa.
Liberia’s judicial system has been in a middle of controversies amid varying reports of justice tempering, corruption among other others.
A New Narratives investigative report published by the New Dawn Newspaper January 19, 2026 revealed that many say “no one believes in the same national courts” because of political interference. It states that justice is seen as a tool for the political elite to suppress dissent. The separation of powers is compromised, with the judiciary operating under the influence of political elites.
The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Fiscal Year 2026 Scorecard — May 15, 2026 also revealed that Liberia failed the Rule of Law indicator with 44%, posting a negative score of -0.06 against the peer-group median of 0.00. This marks the second consecutive year of failure, down from 47% in FY2025 and 59% in FY2024. According to MCC: The indicator evaluates “public confidence in the judiciary and police, including the government’s ability to enforce laws, contracts, and property rights fairly and effectively.”
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