As He Pays Homage To Outgoing Chief Justice Yuoh
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, Monrovia- As prison decongestion remains a major issue in the justice system, Judge Wesseh A. Wesseh has called on the Executive Branch of government through the Justice Ministry to do all they can to construct a new correctional palace.
Gbapolu County for example, the prison facility that was contracted by UNMIL quick impact project was meant for at least 38-47 prisoners but now it’s currently taking approximately 100 prisoners inclusive of pre-trial detainees.
Also in Margibi County, prisoners sleep per hour after which time, a group of prisoners go to bed on shift while others wait their hour to sleep due to limited sleeping capacity.
During the August A.D.2023 term of Court opening in Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County, the then prison superintendent Major Tom Butler Karmala in remark to the judge’s charge disclosed that 15-16 inmates were sleeping in a bathroom all because the prison is overcrowded.
At yesterday’s court opening, Criminal Court B assigned Judge Wesseh A. Judge delivering the Judge’s on behalf of Criminal Court A,B,C,D and E said, a total number of 2,181 pre-trial detainees are held nationwide in prison while 1,159 as of July 31,2025. According to him, these figures appeared low as compared to their neighboring countries.
Judge Wesseh added that obnoxious prison conditions with inmates crammed up with dilapidated and unsaved structures create unbearable conditions that the prisoners are subjected to.
“Recounting these figures are not in any way intended to downplay our prison’s population, but to highlight the stressful and appalling conditions in our various prisons as a result of prisons’ congestions and the lack of proper cares that support treatments, rehabilitations and welfare of inmates” Judge Wesseh stressed.
“ We therefore, join the incoming Chief Justice Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay who recently highlighted the conditions of our prisons during his confirmation hearing before the Liberian Senate in which he emphasized the need to construct a new national prison facility which would help to decongest our already overwhelmed prisons facilities” he indicated.
The assigned judge at Criminal Court B further expressed that from a broader perspective, correction or rehabilitation, which is one of the key components of the Criminal Justice chain, is always challenged and weakened when a jail break is reported.
“We also join the incoming Chief Justice by calling on the Executive through the Ministry of Justice to construct a new national prison facility which will help decongest our detention centers, mostly the National palace of correction in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County.
“Let us be mindful that our actions and inactions to hold people in pre-trial detentions are deterred by Article 21(e) of the 1986 constitution of the Republic of Liberia, which outlines our obligations to those that are held in pre-trial detention.
Meanwhile, Judge Wesseh also paid his last respect to the outgoing Chief justice Sie-A-Nyene G. Yuoh for giving him successive assignments to have served in those jurisdictions at the 15th, 4th, 5th, 16th and the 14th Judicial Courts.
“I am further imbued with a sense of gratitude to beg the indulgence of my colleagues for me to seize upon this occasion, since it my first time to sit with Madam Chief Justice on the same platform during an official court opening program, to allow me pay a special homage to her Honor Sie-A-Nyene G. Yuoh, Chief Justice of the Honorable Supreme Court of Liberia for giving me successive assignments to have served in those jurisdictions just mentioned” judge Wesseh narrated.
“In light of this, let me therefore say a very big thank you madam Chief Justice for always giving me assignments since I embarked upon this journey as a judge. I do appreciate you, for the confidence that you have reposed in me to have served in my own county, RiverGee (three times) and then my county of birth Maryland County, where I also served a term; before moving to Grand Cape Mount County for a term and then to Gbarpolu County for three successive courts terms before my most recent assignment to Rivercess County.”
He said outgoing Chief Justice Yuoh will be remembered for her legal astuteness, diligent services and an indelible print in the annals of the Liberian Judiciary for her transformative initiatives in transitioning the Liberian judiciary into a more robust and progressive Branch of Government.
He added that during her tenure, the Liberian judiciary witnessed the delivering of progressive opinions that were tailored on inspiring a renewed hope for judicial reformation and Liberalism.