By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, Monrovia- Protest by aggrieved staffers of the Liberian Judiciary on Friday disrupted the graduation of the Judicial Institute on Capitol Hill, in the latest in a series of demonstration against cut in their pay.
Friday’s protest, the second in a series this week alone, the scores of dissatisfied Judicial employees chanted negative slogans against Chief Justice Francis Korkpor, who they blame for their plight along with members of the Supreme Court bench.
The court grounds of serenity turned rather chaotic, with the workers marching, singing and chanting, as they beat empty containers as drums in demand of their 12 months Liberian Dollars component of their salaries.
On Thursday, Judiciary authorities promised the staffers that Finance Minister Samuel Tweah would have met them and provide some redress but the Minister failed to show up. The Justice Ministry then said it had nothing to do with the cut in their salaries.
As the protest went on the graduation of the James A. A. Pierre Judicial Institue held in the conference Hall at the Temple of Justice was disrupted.
According to one of the aggrieved Judicial Staffers, who spoke to Journalists on the basis of anonymity, claimed that Judiciary has refused to pay their money in question for 12 months now.
Each of their salaries is said to be L$ 16,000 monthly. And this amount times 12 months, while other aggrieved staffers are also said to have even been working for three years without pay.
The female employee, who refused to be named, said only their allowance which is USD$116, something that sustained their living, as they have families to take care of and some are students who should pay their school fees.
Some 12,000 Judicial Staffers across Liberia are said to be affected by this situation and they have staging a go slow action for the past three weeks, with the Chief Justice said to be tightlipped on the matter.
The protester were on Friday heard chanting: “we want audit” and giving the Temple of Justice the nickname, “Temple of Corruption” with Chief Justice Korkpor’s name been changed to “Corruption hero”.
They were also heard chanting a slogan, “this type of stealing we never saw Johnny time (Former CJ Johnny Lewis).”
Planned disruption of Monday’s Supreme Court Opening
Speaking further, the aggrieved Judicial Staffers told Journalists that there was meeting held on Thursday with the Chief Justice, who told them to wait for next Tuesday’s after the Supreme Court opening. They quoted him as saying that he could get back to them. They have disagreed and threatened to disrupt the Supreme Court opening next Monday.
After they threatened to disrupt the Supreme Court opening on Monday October 12, 2020, Chief Justice Korkpor told them that if they disturb or disrupt the Supreme Court’s opening, the entire nation will be affected.
The Spokesperson of the aggrieved Judicial Staffers, James Flomo has meanwhile, informed Journalists that once their balance salaries are credited to their accounts the Judiciary will be stable.
But he said as long as they do not get their salaries, the Judiciary will not be stable across the fifteen counties.
According to Mr. Flomo, they were informed by Finance Minister Tweah that the salaries of staffers of the Judiciary remain untouched from the harmonization process.
“So what going with their salaries, the Chief Justice should be asked or the Century Administration of the Judiciary,” said the spokesman for the aggrieved staffers.
Mr. Flomo also said that both Supreme Court Justices Kaba and Nagbe had told them that there is a foul play with their salaries.
But both men are yet to be contacted to confirm this.