PHOTO: Cllr. Frank Musa Dean, Justice Minister
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, Monrovia- Liberia’s Justice Minister, and Attorney General, Cllr. Frank Musa Dean has stressed the need for a national dialogue to revisit the retirement “age clause” in the constitution of Liberia for Justices on the supreme court’s bench.
Article 72 b of the Liberian constitution mandates that the Chief Justice and Associate Justices retire at the age of 70.
“The Chief Justice and the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court and judges of subordinate courts of record shall be retired at the age of seventy; provided, however, that a justice of judge who has attained that age may continue in office for as long as may be necessary to enable him to render judgement or perform any other judicial duty in regard to proceedings entertained by him before the attained that age.”
But speaking at closure of the March 2022 A.D term of the Supreme Court and also the official retirement of chief Justice Francis Korkpor held here recently, Cllr. Dean said that a justice who has attained that age may continue in office for as long as may be necessary to enable him render judgment or perform any other judicial duty in regard to proceedings entertained by him before he attained the age.
“Many legal practitioners, including myself continue to reflect on the practicality of this constitutional provision given the evolving, demanding and ever-changing nature of our legal system, where we give currency to seniority and acknowledge that the longer the years of practice, the wealthier in experience the individual becomes,’’ the Liberian Justice Minister maintained.
He emphasized that the 70 years retirement provision for the judges, Chief and Associate Justices may not be realistic today.
Justice Minister Dean is therefore, suggesting that an amendment of the constitutional provision is proposed.
According to him, ‘’Our retired chief and Associates continue to be favored with knowledge, experience, good health and vitality. ‘’ It might be beneficial to our Judicial Reform Program to consider the concept of a Council or Broad of former Chief and Associate Justices.’’
Cllr. Dean stressed that the rule of law being an indispensable pillar in a democratic society such as we cannot gloss over the fact that the Judiciary under chief justice Korkpor’s leadership played an extraordinary role in keeping our infant democracy buoyant and afloat.
‘’He has been a stabilizing figure during seemingly critical and defining moments of our current democratic dispensation between 2005 up to and including 2020, a period when we as a country endured difficult trying and exacting electoral processes,’’ the Justice Minister added.
Outgoing Chief Justice Korkpor admonision
Outgoing Chief Justice Korkpor in his final address to the full bench of the Supreme Court admonished his colleagues to continue the good work in dispending justice to the Liberian people.
He also expressed thanks and appreciations to the former president Ellen Johnson and President Weah for giving him opportunity to serve his country.
He also thanked all the Judicial staff, counselors, former Associate Justices and the International partners for supporting the Judiciary under his watch.
The official retirement of Chief Justice Korkpor was the first time ever in the history of the Liberian Judicial system. The occasion was with the President of Republic of Liberia, VP Taylor, the House of Representatives, Ambassador Sweden, US Ambassador to Liberia and others.
UL Law School Dean on Justice Korkpor’s contributions
For his part, the newly Dean of the Louis Arthur Grime school of law Cllr. Jallah Barbu testified that the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law honored the retired Chief Justice for services they have enjoyed over the many years.
Cllr. Barbu said if they were to count the contributions of the retired Chief Justice, they would not have left the hall but outlined few of it.
He said Professor Francis Saye Korkpor despite his busy schedule at the helm of the Liberian Judiciary, where he performed both judicial and administrative duties accepted their prayer to teach pro Bono at the law school.
He highlighted that professor Korkpor has taught the law school for several years without incidence.
The 3rd thing he cited was that profession Korkpor in his humanity and respect for the rule of law has observed and upheld all the law school’s policies and requirements regarding attendance and timely submission of grades.
As a testimony to his attendance to the policies and rules of the law school, the outgoing Liberian Chief Justice has always been and remains in the top 10-20% professor submitting their grades in time.
“We at the law school are greatly indebted to the retired Chief Justice Korkpor and are convinced that he is only retired from active duty as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of but is not tired teaching the children and future jurists and lawyers of Liberia while at the same time helping us the younger professors to lift our law school to heights unknown,” Cllr. Barbu concluded.