PHOTO: Judge Gbesay
By Moses M. Tokpah, mosesmtokpah@gmail.com
KAKATA, Liberia- The Presiding Judge of the 13th Judicial Circuit Court in in Margibi County, Yarmie Quiqui Gbesay has decried the lack of proper prison facilities in the country.
Delivering his charge at the formal opening of the November term of Court A.D 2021 here on Monday, November 8, 2021, the Judge said people complain of the over-crowdedness of prison facilities, something he said is not the case.
Judge Gbesay said the actual thing is that there are no prison facilities in the country.
“In this country people say ohh the jail house overcrowded, overcrowded no! No jail house crowded here, the actual thing is no jail house in the country so you people in the executive branch of government, those of you who have influence your let the people know there is no jail house,” he repeatedly told the gathering.
The Circuit Court Judge asserted that the country has approximately five million people and the capacity of the prison facilities in the country cannot accommodate one thousand inmates.
According to him, the prison facilities supposed to be in proportion to the population.
Judge Gbesay: For instance Margibi County here, how do you build a place that takes less than 100 persons, then you say jail house overcrowded, no!
The Judge indicated that Liberia came from war and the country has a huge population that do not have the opportunity to go to school noting that they are in the street committing crimes every day.
The Circuit Court Judge has at the same time rated Liberia as the most lawless country in the World.
“Every country around the World is developing, Liberia is going backward every day because nobody cares.
Our country is now the more lawless country in the whole World, your see how cars move on the streets, how motorbikes move on the streets” he recounted.
He said every government car has its own siren and nobody knows who is who, while nobody respects the law or the court as the whole country is “upside down”.
Additionally, the Liberian Judge said that there is a need to prevail on the Legislature to allocate funding in the national budget so as to construct more and spacious prison facilities in the country.
He argued that in Sweden and other places that is not needed because children are growing with facilities and as such, there is no need to commit crime, but said in Liberia there is no facility and everybody is in the street.
With this condition, the Judge narrated that it should be expected that crime will continue to increase and since crime continues to increase and for other people to live in peace, there must be place where perpetrators will be kept until they are tried.
“So we don’t put small lay house here we say jail house fill, jail house fill, jail house not problem; no jail house problem here, the problem is there is no correction facility in our country and wish we do everything to make sure that we have it; that’s very important for civilization so that other people will sleep in peace” he maintained.
He disclosed that there is no prison facility in Grand Kru County and when someone is convicted he/she has to be taken to Maryland County to be imprisoned.
Judge Gbesay further revealed that there is a prison facility in Nimba that accommodates 65 to 70 persons, a county he said has half a million (400,000+) people now.
“Let us talk to our government, our people to make sure there is sufficient jail house if those who are not criminal have to sleep in peace, that is our real problem” he said.
However, Judge Yarmie Gbesay said document in his possession shows that there are 159 persons at the Kakata Central Prison (Carter High) out of which 55 are sentenced.
He added that there are 135 criminal cases on the docket, assuring the gathering that he will do everything to reduce the docket as much as possible during this term of Court.
Warning to Court workers
Judge Gbesay has meanwhile, vowed to discipline any court workers that will go to work late.
The Judge informed the court workers including County Attorney, Defense Council, City Solicitor, Sheriff, clerical staff and Jurors amongst others that all cases that will be heard will start at 9:0’clock AM.
“If you are a lawyer you want to practice before me make sure you are here at 9:0’clock, I may not be judge tomorrow I myself may come to practice so we need to remain friendly, so that when I am on that side you too will respect me and I will respect you,” he told the gathering.
He said for the time being he is committed to his job and has being committed to it for the past six years while serving as judge.
The Margibi County Circuit Court Judge warned all court workers not to use traffic congestion as an escape route noting that if it will cause them to wake up at 4am they should do just that in order to be at work as early as possible.
He said the law gives him the authority to impose fine and imprison any lawyer at the same time and at his option asserting that going to work on time is very important.
The Judge at the same time informed the Jurors that it is their responsibility under the law to go and help the court to decide thus calling on them to play this “patriotic role” and must be to work on time if they are to play said role.
“Once you have been named you have found part of this court, if you don’t come we will discipline you,” Judge Gbesay cautioned the jurors.