TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, Monrovia -The Supreme Court of Liberia on today, Monday November 7, 2022 ordered the arrest of Liberia’s Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah for impeding Judicial function.
Details are still sketchy, but the Judiciary has in recent times complained about backlog of arrears in wages and other benefits from the Liberian government.
The writ from the highest court in the land says “by directive of the full Bench of the Honorable Supreme Court of the Republic of Liberia, you are hereby commanded to arrest the living body of Samuel D. Tweah, Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Republic of Liberia to show cause why he should not be held in contempt of court for impeding the function of the courts and creating constitutional crisis for the Judiciary.”
Background
The latest move by the Supreme Court comes weeks after the new Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene Yuoh, during her first sitting in October noted that she was particularly concerned about the grievances of the National Association of Trial Judges in terms of salaries, allowances and benefits.
In her address, Chief Justice Yuoh said: “Article 72 (a) of the Constitution which clearly mandates that “…allowances and benefits paid to Justices of the Supreme Court and Judges of subordinate courts by law be increased but may not be diminished except under a national program enacted by the Legislature, nor shall such allowances and benefits be subject to taxation.”
The strain in relations between the Judiciary and the Ministry of Finance began with the Executive branch of government salary harmonization exercise began few years ago, trimming salaries and allowances of both top officials and low government workers to harmonize government’s wage bill, with the backing of the IMF and World Bank.
In her address during her first opening of the Supreme Court as Chief Justice, the new head of the Judiciary further said: I am cognizant of the Judicial Financial Autonomy Act (2006), and the need to ensure strict compliance with these laws, and the debate surrounding the harmonization of the salaries of Justices/Judges.”
Back in November 2022, several Judges of the Liberian Judiciary filed a lawsuit against the government of Liberia for what they described as the “wrongful and illegal abolition and withholding of their allowances.”
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Meanwhile, according to some Judicial workers, they have not taken pay for months despite being affected by the salary harmonization exercise.
And based on that, they have since engaged the Supreme Court Bench to express their dissatisfaction.