Africa-Press – Liberia. The United States of America is the world’s most dominant economy and remains far and away the greatest military power on earth. Since the end of Liberia’s second conflict in 2003, the United States government has provided more than $2.4 billion in State Department- and USAID-administered assistance to support Liberia’s post-war stabilization and development.
The country we consider our proud mother, the United States has always been a proud and dedicated partner and friend of Liberia and stood with the people of Liberia in support of democracy and the rule of law and continues to promote accountability for corrupt actors, regardless of their position or political affiliation.
The Judicial branch as one of the three branches of government has the sole power to interpret the law and determine its constitutionality of the law. The Supreme Court is the head of the Judiciary Branch and its administrative head and spokesperson is the Chief Justice who presides over the business of the Court and other ordinary meetings of the Judiciary.
It’s a national disgrace to have Senator Harry Varney Gboto-Nambi Sherman, Chair of the Liberian Senate Judiciary Committee preside over the confirmation hearing of Associate Justice Sie-A-Nyene Gyapay Yuoh as Chief Justice of the Republic of Liberia.
Even at his law firm, Sherman & Sherman, which was one time the most prestigious in the country, all of his lawyers immediately resigned and/or disassociated themselves from his firm after he was sanctioned by the government of the United States of America.
If Senator Sherman had any degree of honor and love for country, he would have resigned as Chairman of such a powerful and prestigious committee. How could a man who was sanctioned by the United States for bribing judges be allowed to preside over the vetting of the next Chief Justice of our beloved republic? It’s heartbreaking, because Sherman’s most ethical transgression of bribing Judges demonstrated a larger pattern of misbehavior to exercise influence over the judiciary and the Ministry of Justice.
As a matter of perspective, a few days after Senator Prince Y. Johnson, who also came under US Sanctions in December 2021, was elected unopposed to chair the Senate Committee on Defense, Security, Intelligence and Veteran Affairs, the US Embassy near Monrovia released a statement questioning the seriousness of the Senate after the election of Sen. Johnson to Chair the Committee.
Should our elected officials wait for the US government to issue a strong-worded statement questioning their decision to reward corrupt officials with positions of power and influence, before doing the right thing?
We have to respect ourselves. When Cllr. Sherman was sanctioned, he did not attempt to fight the US Treasury Department’s action. When Senator Prince Y. Johnson was sanctioned, he outrightly subbed it, suggesting that he had nothing to lose. Now we have three newcomers to the sanctions club, all of whom are crying for “due process”, Yet the same three are trying to downplay the importance of the sanctions by feeding their local (and gullible) supporters with the impression that the US Treasury Department’s actions are not that serious.
Liberians have in many ways looked to the United States as their primary external partner and friend over many, many years. Therefore, we should not take the American sanctions lightly. Perhaps, taking the US actions heedlessly, might be following the treacherous path of William R. Tolbert, Samuel K. Doe and Charles G. Taylor.
Being placed on the US sanction list by the Treasury Department is not written in stone. There are proper ways for individuals to get delisted and they have to follow the process.
Any attempt to adjudicate the list of crimes in the US Treasury Department’s statement itself is to demonstrate the lack of seriousness by the Liberian government about the message the United States government is sending.
We shouldn’t underestimate the power of the United States of America, the US dollar and the Treasury Department.
With God above Our rights to prove, We will o’er all prevail!
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