-over impeachment and removal of Justice Kabineh Ja’neh
By Allen P. Labalah -lallenpaye@yahoo.com
Sanniquellie, Liberia-Despite his earlier claim that he voted against the impeachment of former Associate Justice Kabineh M. Ja’neh, Nimba County Senator Prince Y. Johnson continues to come under criticism from his constituents in this northeastern Liberian County.
In the provincial capital, Sanniquellie, callers on the live phone-in morning magazine show, Liberia Today on the local community Radio Sehnwai, accused Senator Johnson and Senator Thomas Grupee of “doing nothing to safe Ja’neh from the so-called political impeachment.”
The popular show was broadcast on Monday, April 1, 2019 and dwelt extensively on the Senate’s impeachment and removal of Justice Ja’neh last Friday.
Some of the callers even openly condemned the controversial Senator Johnson regarding the impeachment of Ja’neh, who happen to also hail from Nimba.
Some citizens hailing from Nimba in Sanniquellie and around the county are also accusing their lawmakers of “being sentimental in their legislative judgment against Ja’nah impeachment.’
But also on Monday, Senator Prince Johnson speaking via mobile phone again denied voting in favour of Ja’neh’s impeachment. But he emphasized that the impeachment of former Supreme Court Associate Justice Ja’neh was a political decision.
According to Senator Johnson, he had advised Justice Ja’neh to resign in order to receive his five years benefits at the beginning of the process but his kinsmen (Ja’neh) refused to listen to him instead support his own political impeachment by defending the process.
Senator Johnson told Radio Sehnwai news that he condemned former Supreme Court Associate Justice Ja’nah’s impeachment procedure, because it was not a legal matter but rather a political process.
The Nimba “Political godfather” maintained that Ja’nah should cry in the name of his lawyers and friends who betrayed him and as such citizens should stop shifting blame on other innocent free citizens.
He named Cllr. Charles Walker Brusnkimes and other Liberian lawyers should be held liable for Ja’nah impeachment on grounds that they are his betrayers.
Senator Johnson again stressed that he owes no apology to anyone in Nimba, adding that he has nothing to his belovedcounty.
He further stressed that he has the political right to vote against the removal of Ja’nah, or abstain from the process.
Former Associate Justice Ja’neh was finally impeached last Friday by the Liberian Senate for granting a Writ of Prohibition petitioned by petroleum dealers in the country. The Writ put a stop government’s collection of levy/taxes of US$0.30 (road fund) imposed on the pump price of gasoline and fuel oil.
The Senators voted 22-4 to remove the embattled Associate Justice on March 29, 2019.
The Ja’neh impeachment issue is believed to have strongly divided politicians and others in Nimba County.