Africa-Press – Liberia. In a shocking development on Thursday, December 14, it was reported that over US$100,000 had gone missing from a vault in the courtroom of the Civil Law Court ‘B’ at the Temple of Justice in Liberia.
The vault was under the control of Sheriff Pobleh Wea, an employee of the Ministry of Justice assigned to the Judicial Branch. Sheriff Wea has been missing for a week, coincidentally the same day he was supposed to hand over US$9,000, among other court fees, to a litigant following a judgment.
Authorities are currently unsure of his whereabouts and are investigating potential collusion between the sheriff’s office and judges.
Meanwhile, no one seems to be able to answer the burning question: Whose idea was it to keep litigant funds at the Temple of Justice or any courthouse in the country?
Normally, such money would be deposited in a secure escrow account at a local bank, and the deposit slips shared with the court for record. The court may request a statement from the escrow account at any given time.
Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene Yuoh, in a recently circulated memo, cautioned judges and magistrates against placing money or issuing checks in the hands of sheriffs. Though she did not specify where the collected money should be deposited, she directed, through a memo, those in need of clarification to contact her Court Administrator, Cllr. Elizabeth Nelson.
“This decision remains in force until otherwise ordered,” the memo said.
Chief Justice Yuoh has requested that sheriffs within the 16 judicial circuits submit their appointment letters and related documents by January 12, 2024. It remains unclear whether the gathering on that date will lead to the replacement of any sheriffs, as has been done in other departments of the judiciary.
Authorities are aware that there may have been additional individuals involved in Sheriff Wea’s escape, but the extent of their participation and whether it was intentional is currently unknown. This incident highlighted an ongoing problem within the Judiciary, with reports of organized schemes and missing funds not adequately addressed.
A source told the Daily Observer that judicial actors strongly believe that some authorities know that several other persons participated in Wea’s escape, though they do not know their participation in his escape was intentional.
“Whether he did that willingly or was coerced or threatened, I am not sure, but I know for sure somebody did participate in this organized scheme,” the source said. “After reading the memo, nobody saw this coming,” he added.
Another situation at the Monrovia City Court, where a sheriff also escaped with a significant sum of money, was referenced as an example. The outcome of this investigation and the actions taken in response will be closely observed.
“This organized scheme is an age old problem with the Judiciary and absolutely nothing else is being done to tackle the issues. It happens at the Monrovia City Court, where a sheriff assigned there escaped with thousands of United States dollars,” another source interjected. “There is no history that a sheriff involved with this act was arrested. We are watching what will happen.”
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