Africa-Press – Liberia. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has been called out for not being able to verify the existence of 90% of its ministerial officers, including sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, and curators stationed at various courts nationwide.
Serving as a proxy for Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene Yuoh, Associate Justice Jamesetta Howard Wolokolie, highlighted this issue, expressing concern that these individuals are on the government payroll without proper employment records.
The situation was discussed during the opening of the March 2024 Term of the Supreme Court, where high-ranking government officials attended.
Justice Wolokolie noted that the Supreme Court, through the court administrator, brought the matter to the attention of the Ministry. Still, nothing has been put in place to arrest the situation.
She said the unaccounted ministerial officers and curators are on government payrolls and receiving salaries monthly, despite the fact that there are no employment records of them as ministerial officers and curators.
“We are also experiencing this similar dilemma with curators who are purporting to be employees of the Ministry at the Monthly and Probate Court at the Temple of Justice,” the justice maintained.
She, however, emphasized that over the past decades, they have experienced an influx of unknown persons claiming to be sheriffs and constables from the Ministry of Justice assigned to serve as ministerial officers to the courts across the country.
Justice Wolokolie described the situation as an alarming level of thievery by the Ministry-assigned magisterial officers. She emphasized the need for a national policy and budget allocation to address this issue, urging collaboration between national stakeholders.
The Monday ceremony was graced by high-power government officials, including President Joseph Boakai, Pro-Tempore Nanbloee Karnga-Lawrence of the Senate, and House Speaker Fonati Koffa.
Section 15.1 of the Judiciary law provides that “the President, by and with the consent of the Senate, shall appoint a sheriff for each County and deputy Sheriff as are required to carry out the duties of the office.”
Section 112.1 of the Decedent Estate Law also says “the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint a curator for each county and in addition for each territory and district in which a Probate Court is established.”
Justice Wolokolie also called on all national stakeholders, including the Legislature and the Office of the President, to develop a national policy and budgetary allotment for the implementation of section 15.1 and section 112.1, which she believes has been abandoned by successive governments.
According to her, the Ministry has no role to play in the laws, however, she involves it, by aggressively working with the court administrator’s office “to ensure that this situation is arrested so that these persons who are often exhibiting criminal behavior in our courts are purged from our judicial system.”
Her disclosure, which was greeted with mixed reactions from lawyers, came at a time when the previous administration of government under President George Manneh Weah, placed several persons who were already on the government or civil servants on the payroll at several government ministries and agencies.
According to Wolokolie, those purporting to be sheriffs and curators from the Ministry have infiltrated the judiciary over the past years and have wreaked havoc on party litigants and the courts, lamenting, “thus embarrassing the judiciary’s reputation.”
What is most surprising, she noted, is that they recently discovered that the curator assigned to the Monthly and Probate Court was an imposter with no employment record with the Ministry of Justice or the Judiciary.
But some lawyers say they were shocked to hear that people were infiltrating the judiciary and being paid from the budget without raising the concern early.
“How would they sit there and waste taxpayers’ money on people who are not employees of the Judiciary?” a lawyer wondered.
Another lawyer believes the judiciary should be responsible for the situation rather than blame it on the Ministry. “This is their own failure and they should be held accountable.”
The revelation sparked controversy among legal professionals, with some questioning accountability within the judiciary and others pointing fingers at the Ministry for the oversight.
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