Such Elements Raining Havoc On Party Litigants
PHOTO: Associate Justice Jamesetta Howard Wolokolie
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia, Jamesetta Howard has alarmed that it’s sad to note that thieves are purporting to be Sheriffs and Curators from the Ministry of Justice have infiltrated the Judiciary over the past years.
Proxying for Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene G. Yuoh at the recent formal opening of March AD 2024 Term of the Supreme Court, Justice Wolokolie said such elements have rained havoc on party litigants and the courts; thus, embarrassing the Judiciary reputation.
According to the Associate Justice, the courts over the past decades have experienced an unknown persons claiming to be sheriffs and are from the Ministry of Justice assigned to serve as Ministerial Officers to the courts.
Associate Justice Wolokolie lamented they discovered the Probate Courts are also experiencing a similar dilemma with curators who purporting to be employees of the Ministry of Justice assigned to the Monthly and Probate Court.
Among other things, Justice Wolokolie pointed out that the Supreme Court through the Court Administrator’s Office contacted the Ministry of Justice to rectify the alarming level of thievery by ministerial officers, the Ministry of Justice in response could not account for 90%of these ministerial officers who are assigned to the courts across the country, noting that they recently discovered that the curator assigned to the Monthly and Probate Court is an imposter with no employment record with the Ministry of Justice or the Judiciary.
“What is most surprising is the fact that all of these unaccounted ministerial officers and curators are on government payrolls and are receiving salaries every month even though there are no employment records of them as ministerial officers and curators” Justice Wolokolie asserted.
They call on the Ministry of Justice to aggressively work with the Court Administrator Office to ensure that this situation is arrested so that these persons who are often exhibiting criminal behavior in courts are purged from the Judiciary System.
At the same time, she also called on all national stakeholders including the Legislature and the Office of the President to develop a national policy and budgetary allotment for the implementation of Section 15.1 of the Judiciary Law and Section 112.1 of the Decedent Estate Law relating to Sheriffs and Curators to avoid the dilemma of the judiciary is faced with.
In response to Justice Wolokolie’s opening address Justice Minister Oswald Tweh spoke among other things and said the Ministry of Justice will coordinate with the office of the court administrator to ensure that the bad apple is potted out of the Justice system.
Meanwhile, the Justice Ministry will also embark upon all employees including the Sheriff to be investigated.
e added that incidents of theft by the Sheriff will also be investigated and those responsible will be prosecuted.