Jallah Barbu, a lawyer and head of the Office of War and Economic Crimes Court of Liberia, pledged an extensive outreach process. Credit: Anthony Stephens/New Narratives.
- The Office for the War and Economics Crimes Court launches a nationwide outreach campaign regarded as critical to establishing the proposed courts.
- The chair of the Independent National Commission on Human Rights urges the Legislature to end bail for individuals charged with corruption
By Anthony Stephens senior justice correspondent with New Narratives
The Office of Liberia’s War and Economics Crimes Court launched its official outreach campaign at an event at the Office’s headquarters in Mamba Point, Monrovia on Saturday, despite having still received none of the $US2 million in funding promised by President Boakai in April. The campaign was launched by Jallah Barbu, the executive director of the Office. He was joined by other government officials including Cole Bangalu, Minister of Youth and Sports.
President Boakai, who officials hoped would attend the launch, was not in attendance. He sent But George T. Marshall Jr., assistant minister of state for special services, in his stead. Marshall said the president remained firm in his commitment to the courts despite the failure to send funds.
“We are on path at the Ministry of State, especially the office of the acting minister, to make sure that all your needs are met in this campaign,” said Marshall.
The outreach campaign is intended to bring news of the courts to people across the country through a series of activities including traditional media, in local languages, and in drama, music and social media.
“Every corner of this county must be touched,” said Barbu. “We will do our best to walk to nearby villages and talk with the people and cover some distances. I ask you to put on your sneakers and let’s walk.”
In the compound of the Office, women held placards with inscriptions about justice, accountability and transparency.
aturday’s program drew Liberians from across the country—victims and survivors, students, youth leaders and senior government officials – who said they were united in helping with the campaign.
“I know that my dead father… he will come to me and say, ‘thank you,’” said Peterson Sonyah, executive director of the Liberia Massacre Survivors Association, one of the country’s largest victims’ groups. He lost his father and six members of his family during the St. Peter’s Lutheran Church massacre—one of the most horrific atrocities of the civil wars. “And I know all those who lost their lives will tell me ‘thank you.’”
Officials from the United Nations applauded the action.
“When it comes to courts, we need to ensure that everyone understands what they mean,” said Christian Mukosa, country representative for the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. “Everyone doesn’t mean those who are educated; those who live in Monrovia, but also those who live in villages, in remote areas, in underprivileged communities in Monrovia and other cities of Liberia.”
In the roadmap that the court Office gave to President Boakai in May, the anti-corruption court was identified as the priority over the war and economic crimes court because it will require fewer resources and international support. According to the roadmap, the anti-corruption court will be operational by November 2026, with the war and economic crimes court following a year later. The draft statute for the anti-corruption court is expected to be submitted to President Boakai in September.
At the launch Dempster Brown, the chairman of the Independent National Commission on Human Rights, issued a bold call to the Legislature: make corruption charges in the proposed anti-corruption court non-bailable. He went further, urging the Legislature to change existing law to make corruption charges non-bailable now.
Dempster Brown, also a lawyer, alleges public officials are quickly amassing wealth.
“Corruption should not be bailable because corruption fights back,” Brown said to applause from the audience. “If you place a man on bail, he will use his money to fight the case.”
Brown also urged the Legislature to clearly define corruption in a statute, warning that existing vague language weakens prosecutions. Under current law the term corruption is never used. It is instead called “economic sabotage” – a term that Dempster said is not clear to Liberians.
Brown’s call for a tougher stance against corruption resonated with attendees and speakers at the program.
“The pain of economic crimes is as atrocious and enduring as war crimes,” said James Kinsley, executive director of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission. “Economic crime is responsible for generational poverty and transgenerational poverty. Children are dying below the age of five because there’s no access to adequate healthcare. How can a small country like Liberia, a little over 5 million people with vast natural resources we have, live in so much abject poverty?”
“Why would someone work for one year and you have value of property worth more than $US1 million?” said Augustine Fayiah, Liberia’s solicitor general, talking about government officials. “So, it means you are responsible for people who die from here to Duala because there is no good road. You are responsible for those who die in the hospital because the doctors are not paid well and there’s no medicine to take care of the situation.”
The call comes as numerous members of the administration of former President George Weah and members of the Boakai’s government have been charged with corruption. Boakai has won praise from accountability watchdogs for demonstrating the “political will” to tackle impunity, but critics say prosecutions remain weak.
A group of Liberian musicians performed a live anti-corruption song during the program.
Corruption has long plagued Liberia. Human Rights Watch said corruption was one of the many issues the fueled the country’s civil wars, which ended nearly 22 years ago. An estimated 250,000 people were killed during the wars. Millions were displaced. Although successive governments in the country’s post-war era have suspended, arrested and prosecuted individuals accused of corruption, the issue remains prevalent and deeply entrenched.
A 2024 Transparency International report acknowledged Liberia had made “marginal progress” in fighting corruption, but warned that “impunity remains high.”
Mark Toner, the retiring U.S. Ambassador to Liberia, urged the government in a recent exclusive interview with FrontPage Africa/New Narratives to fast-track prosecutions.
Two parallel efforts to establish anti-corruption courts are now underway: one by the Office of the War and Economic Crimes Court, and the other by the Liberian Anti-Corruption Commission, which has submitted a draft bill for a standalone anti-corruption court to the Legislature. Currently, corruption cases are tried in Criminal Court “C,” which also handles theft, burglary, robbery and narcotics. Advocates argue its crowded docket justifies a separate court.
This story is a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the West Africa Justice Reporting Project. Funding was provided by the Swedish Embassy in Liberia which had no say in the story’s content.
