She Asks: If The President Doesn’t Defend His Budget Why Should The Supreme Court?
PHOTO: Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene G. Yuoh
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
In a loud voice, Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene G. Yuoh has defied has stood up to the Legislature telling Liberian Lawmakers that the Judiciary Branch of government will never appear before them to defend their budget, because the President does not appear before them to defend his budget.
“In as much as the President cannot appear before them to defend his budget, we will not appear before them to defend ours,” Chief Justice Yuoh said in a statement at the just-ended African Regional Meeting of the International Association of Judges held at the EJS Ministerial Complex in Monrovia’s Congo Town suburb.
Her comment followed a presentation made by the Chief Judge of the commercial court Eva Mappy Morgan on the topic, Salaries and Benefits: the Impact on an Independent Judiciary System.
Chief Justice Youh, said the present Supreme Court has already had talks with the presidency setting up talking points beginning with the financial antimony act of the judiciary; inform them about the pending case of the association of trial judges, the law regarding salaries of justice of the supreme courts judges and they are not backing.
“The only thing we are waiting for now because we told them (Legislature) no uncertain terms that We are not begging to be given money but according to the budget law, the three branches of government are participatory within that process at such you cannot impose on the judiciary,” Chief Justice Sie-A-Nene G. Youh, said.
According to her, there are laws and everything was by laws saying if the judiciary cannot participate than the budget law will be scrap down.
“If the judiciary cannot be informed as to the purposes or reasons why they have been given certain amount or percentage of the budget, we have the inherent power to scrap that budget law down,” the Chief Justice noted.
She went on to say that the judiciary is a full branch of government and not a segment of the executive at such they will not defend their budget.
Chief Justice Sie-A-Nene G. Youh said it is the constitution that state that the chief justice shall made salary the same as the vice president adding that as a precedent where the chief justice is, the associate justice comes with certain percentage, then the judges and the magistrates.
“We want to start from there and we will not relent,” she noted.