Chief Justice, Sie-A-Nyene G. Yuoh has frowned at legal practitioners who are bent on ignoring adherence to the rule of law.
Speaking at celebration of Law Day, Chief Justice Yuoh said legal practitioners cannot be bragging about adherence to the rule of law when they are not adhering to it.
Law Day is held annually to highlight achievements in the legal profession, as well as provide an opportunity to understand how law and the legal process protect liberty and contribute to the freedom that everyone shares.
The event, which brought together dignitaries, was held under the theme: “The Mechanism to Establish War and Economic Crimes Court in Liberia.”
“Adherence to the rule of law, this is a call as far as I can recall, we continue to print at the back of our t-shirts celebrating days like these or occasions like these and we put that inscription at the back of the t-shirt adherence to the rule of law. We have come four cycles to celebrate another law day and again this inscription appears on the back of the t-shirt that we have on. But the question remains: do we in this profession adhere to the rule of law?” she asked.
She criticized fellow justices for refusing to attend programs initiated by the National Bar Association.
She said despite her elevation as Chief Justice, she is the only Justice, who attends programs initiated by the Bar Association.
The Chief Justice indicated that her interpersonal relations with legal practitioners have not changed despite her elevation.
While appealing to members of the profession to always be in adherence to the rule of law, she suggested the imposition of fines on those who boycotted the law day event without excuse.
Justice Yuoh observed that the dress code of some legal practitioners do not represent the slogan of adherence to the rule of law.
“There is an opinion of the Supreme Court as to how we ought to dress at certain occasions like the opening of Court. I have had the pleasing duty to tell the defense council to sit down because she wore a yellow dress! I had the occasion to also ask those representing the civil authorities in some of those counties to thank them for us but they cannot speak because they entered there with t-shirts and sneakers at the opening of court,” the Chief Justice disclosed.
She frowned at some lawyers bent on dressing indecently in courts, urging them to adhere to the rule of law and respect authority at all times.
“Every lawyer’s gown should be closed or zip, or buttoned when you appear before any court in this republic. But when you go to circuit court; the lawyers’ gowns are open! If we don’t adhere to these things, we will be sitting here one day less than ten because where you have non-adherence to the rule of law, to policies, to the general law…of the very organization, you are dismantling that organization slowly but surely,” she asserted.
A proxy for Cllr. Jallah A. Barbu, who was the keynote speaker for this year’s celebration, Cllr. Fedrick Gbeime says the country is at a critical point following the endorsement of both the Legislature and Executive on the processes leading to ending the culture of impunity in Liberia.
“Please permit me at this stage to highlight a few points that in my opinion can be not only a set of mechanisms but also a fast tracker in the establishment of an already agreed upon war and economic crimes court for Liberia,” he said.
While calling on the government to build upon existing proposals, he wants the authority to work with the already existing draft legislation seeking the establishment of the court which was drafted by the Bar Association and endorsed by several national and international institutions.
In an effort to solicit the views of Liberians, he recommends a massive nationwide awareness on issues surrounding the establishment of the court such as the objective, nature and utilities of the court.
According to him, some Liberians are spreading false information about the quest to end impunity through the establishment of the court
He believes that the legal profession has professional lawyers who are well qualified to assume the responsibility of representing their clients once the court is established.
“Liberia has exceptionally brilliant lawyers and professionals that can take up the task and perform excellently. This does not negate the facts that we have not had such a court in Liberia…,” the guest speaker pointed out.
