Rebranding Or Back To Analog?
PHOTO: The Temple of Justice, the seat of the Liberian Judiciary branch of government
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
When Liberia’s current Supreme Court Chief Justice, Sie-A-Nyene G. Yuoh took over in 2022, one of the pronouncements she made in her first opening address about rebranding the Judiciary by leaving from the analog to digital age, but it’s yet to be visible at the Temple of Justice and in courts across this West African country.
She praised Magistrate Ben Barco during the opening of the October term of Court for using the internet system to email court minutes or records, but said initiative was taken by the magistrate with no budgetary support from the government judiciary bureaucracy.
Due to the failure of the Judiciary administration to provide internet bundles to Circuit Courts stationed at the Temple of Justice, the courts have gone to the analog or old Stone Age of doing things at the Temple of Justice instead of doing things in the digital world as promised.
Criminal Court “A” tried few days In August of 2023 to send court records through email which was sponsored from the Judge himself pocket but it has completely stopped because the can’t continue taking responsibility of the judiciary from his already harmonized salary.
However, she has outlined Multiple Challenges Over The Years Hit Judiciary when Chief Justice Yuoh revealed that It is public knowledge that the Judiciary over the years has been plagued with multiple challenges ranging from inadequate budgetary allocation to poor infrastructure and human capacity.
She said these challenges have affected the overall performance of the Judiciary as a system. upon assuming the helm of leadership of the Judiciary in 2022.
The Supreme Court Chief Justice made her latest statement on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, at the official launching ceremony of the Judiciary’s strategic plan for the next five (5) years. However, the five-year strategic plan is to inform the government of Liberia, its national stakeholders, and development partners about their plans for the next five years.
Justice Yuoh said that her vision for a new Judiciary under her leadership was crafted into what she refers to as “Rebranding the Judiciary”.
“This vision encapsulates the renewal of the system through addressing systematic weaknesses that have impeded the effective function of the Judiciary over the years”.
Cheif Justice Yuoh noted. C/J Yuoh laid out the five strategic objectives plan: “Development of the Judiciary’s infrastructure for improved access to justice – activities under construction of a new Supreme Court building, construction of 7 circuit court/Judicial complexes around the country. Construction of 20 magisterial courts around the country, refurbishment and operationalization of 3 sexual offences courts in 3 counties and digitization of the Supreme Court and all circuit court complexes.
On the other hand, “Human capacity, development capacity development of relevant staff for digitization; continuing judicial education for general capacity development, recruitment, and deployment of 30 additional public defenders for increased access to justice etc”.
Moreover, she said that the strategic plan is “Efficient case management for improved access to justice, development of case management policies and guidelines, the rollout of modern case management system in all circuits and training of relevant staff in case management, etc.
However, the C/J mentioned that the plan is to improve the administration of criminal justice, reform the criminal procedure rules and practices: roll sexual offenses division in other counties: and enhance collaboration with other actors to address issues such as pre-trial detention across the county”.
She further maintained that”Improved Constitutional right litigation and judicial integrity, roll out of jury management offices in the remaining 7 counties: a review of Supreme Court rules and procedures to reduce case backlog, public awareness on the jury law: address issues of systemic or institutional corruption: developing communication policies to enhance effective judicial information dissemination to improve public confidence in the judiciary.
The current structures of the GEC and JIC is being reviewed to develop procedural manuals for the effective operation of these two bodies.
The Chief Justice believes that the goals and objectives defined in this strategic plan, when actualized, will get the judiciary on a sustained trajectory of reform, never to revert to business as usual nothing Even though my tenure as Chief Justice may not allow her to see the full implementation of the vision, with the confidence that has in her team, but convinced that the vision as espoused in the strategic plan will be implemented to the fullest.
Chief Justice Yuoh then said: “I am now pleased, on behalf of the full Bench of the Supreme Court of Liberia, to declare this 5-year strategy.
In revealing the Judiciary (2024-2028) plan which was officially launched recently, the Chief Justice said that “the Supreme Court would look forward to working with all of you to ensure that this plan is fully implemented”.
She added that a strategic plan, as the name suggests, is a document that defines the vision of an organization or its leaders for the future and identifies the targeted goals and objectives to be achieved. It is a roadmap that guides the development agenda of an institution or organization.