PHOTO: Liberia’s Chief Justice Korkpor at the occasion
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, Monrovia- The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberi, Francis S. Korkpor has admonished prospective jurors to be very attentive during hearing of cases, in order to hand down an independent verdict void of influence by others.
The head of the Liberia Judiciary gave the admonition during the opening of a five-day jury orientation workshop.
According to Chief Justice Korkpor, jurors’ decision either acquits a criminal or convicts them for life time, because they were not paying attention during the hearing of the case.
He said, jurors who don’t pay keen attention during cases hearings, are the one who go by so say one, so say all in the room of deliberation because either their paying attention to their phones, or thinking on something else.
Liberia’s Chief Justice further encouraged the prospective jurors to always decide cases based on the weight of the evidence independently and their human conscience.
Speaking further, Justice Korkpor disclosed that most often the public blamed the court whenever jurors hand down Verdicts, instead of shifting the blame on the jurors who decided the case.
The head of the Liberian Judiciary then informed the jurors that offering their service for Liberia, doesn’t mean that they should come with pre-conceived mind or for money but their services are rather for love of country.
For her part, the keynote speaker and Liberia’s former Solicitor General, Betty Lamie Blamo, who spoke on the theme-Evaluating of Evidence-said most often the public complain about the court being bias in dispensing justice.
But she was quick to point out that it is the jurors who usually decide cases and not the court.
Cllr. Blamo explained that jury service plays a very important role in the Judicial system because the life of an accused person lies in the hand of the jurors to either acquits or convict them.
She added that trial jurors should be independent because cases are decided many minds(jurors).
The former Solicitor General listed the types of evidence jurors should always look at in deciding cases, including physical, materials, documentary and live witnesses evidence in carefully deciding the fate of an accused.
Also speaking was the Chief Judge of the Commercial Court, Eva Mappy Morgan, who said that jurors’ selection is by law in the Liberian constitution.
And they have the power to decide the fact and return verdicts, the Commercial Court Judge said.
Meanwhile, Judge Morgan has called on the prospective jurors to always be attentive, take note, ask questions and look at the evidence in deciding someone’s fate, because the decision they make might place someone behind bars wrongfully or set someone free.