-Bad blood over the impeachment of former Justice Kabineh Ja’neh
A drama on Monday nearly overshadowed the officials seating of the newly commissioned Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia, Yussif D. Kaba, who replaced impeached and removed Justice Kabineh Ja’neh.
At the program, Chief Justice Francis S.Korkpor Sr. threatened not to allow the Liberian National Bar Association’s President, Cllr. Tiawan S. Gongloe from speaking at any opening of court in Liberia, if he does not stop the provocation against the court for repeating that Justice Ja’neh’s impeachment was unconstitutional.
Chief Korkpor’s threat came when Cllr. Gongloe was reading the official position statement of the Bar Association at the seating ceremony of Justice Kaba on May 20, 2019 in the chamber of the Supreme Court.
In his response, Gongloe insisted that the removal of former Justice Kabineh Ja’neh was unconstitutional, adding the Bar maintain that the Bill of Impeachment was a product of the violation of a court order.
He also said that Ja’neh’s impeachment was done without a procedure prescribed by the Legislature as required by Article 43 of the Liberian constitution and that by the removal of Justice Ja’neh for performing his legal duty, the same Senate violated Article 73 of the constitution.
Cllr. Gongloe further said that the removal of Justice for performing a legal duty creates a precedent that has the potential of making other judges, especially of subordinate courts to be afraid to freely perform their legal duties; when it comes to cases in which the interest of government or of powerful persons or entities are involved.
Therefore, the Bar Association’s President said this defeats the purpose for which courts exist in the democratic system of government.
At that point, Cllr.Gongloe was not allowed to end his speech, when Chief Justice Korkpor knocked his gavel three times saying, if Cllr.Gongloe was not there for seating program of Justice Kaba, then he must stop provocking the court.
The Liberian Chief Justice then vowed that he will prevent Cllr.Gongloe from speaking at opening of courts and other events relating to the court.
Chief Justice Korkpor then asked the Bar Association’s president to take his sead, if he did not go to wish the new Justice Kaba well.
He told Cllr. Gongloe that the purpose of the gathering was to talk about what was at hand.
The Chief Justice noted that Cllr.Gongloe did the same during the opening of the March term of court, and continued his impeachment issue.
Chief Justice Korkpor stressed that if Cllr. Gongloe did not go to attend the seating program of Justice Kaba or did not believe in the Court then he should stay away.
At this point, the entire ceremony came to a standstill for a short while, with mixed views expressed by some lawyers in the chamber.
Some felt that it was necessary for the Chief justice to make such strong statement, while others said Justice Korkpor’s behavior was wrong, as the Bar Association has the right to speak out. Report by By Garmah Never Lomo,garmahlomo@gmail.com