A potential impeachment hangs over the presiding Judge of Criminal Court “A” Roosevelt Z. Willie regarding a writ of subpoena issued against the Clar Hope Foundation to provide financial records and demonstrate proof of every financial contribution made to the construction of the institution.
Addressing legislative reporters on Thursday, January 22, 2026, Margibi County Senator and Chair of the Congress for Democratic Change Legislative Caucus, Nathaniel F. McGill, said that it’s very sad and worrisome that the judge is allegedly using unorthodox method to extract. According to him, it’s frustrating that the court would demand a private institution to provide its financial records when there is no case against it, something he described as judicial abuse against Article 21 of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia.
“Judicial abuse of power is tantamount to impeachment. The judge who is doing this is believed to be one of the best judges, so why is he doing it? Now, I want him to know that the legislature has power too. We have power. If you are in the Judiciary and you abuse your power, we can impeach you, we can remove you from power,” Senator McGill stated. Senator McGill noted that it’s very shameful and painful that the Assert Recovery Team is using the court even though it doesn’t have a case against the Foundation. According to him, under Liberian Criminal Procedure Law, the burden of proof lies on the state, not the accused.
“Today, it’s happening to the Clar Hope Foundation and people think it’s a CDC thing. But tomorrow it may happen to someone else. The Assert Recovery Team believes that the Foundation was built using public money; that’s good. If they have the full evidence, they should go to court. On the contrary, they have used the judge to issue a writ of subpoena for them to provide all their financial records to show that they didn’t use public money,” he stated.
It can be recalled that Criminal Court “A” at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia instructed authorities of the Clar Hope Foundation to appear before it with financial records related to the organization’s funding and construction activities. The Foundation is owned by former First Lady, Clar M. Weah.
According to the court’s order, Clar Hope Foundation, through its General Manager, Jackson P. Gbamie, along with deputies and officials acting under his authority, should comply with a Writ of Subpoena Duces Tecum. The matter is scheduled for a hearing on January 23, 2026. The subpoena was requested by the Assets and Property Retrieval Task Force [AREPT], by and through its chairman, Cllr. Edwin K. Martin.
The Task Force is seeking documentation detailing funds received by the foundation from individuals and government institutions, as well as donations made toward the construction of the Clar Hope Foundation. The writ issued under the authority of Resident Circuit Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie on January 15 further requests records showing the amounts contributed, the identities, locations, telephone numbers, and addresses of the contributors.
Additionally, the court commands the Montserrado County sheriff to serve the Writ of Subpoena and make official returns to the clerk of court, indicating the manner of service. The writ indicated that failure to comply could subject the respondents (Clar Hope Foundation) to further court action.
