Snowe Blasts Piah, Sando

By Godgift Harris

“. . . an institution originally established to foster civic education in government, has now turned into character disgrace, and mudslinging of dissents,” said Snowe.

Chief Justice, His Honor Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay, has launched a full-scale reform campaign to clean up the judiciary, declaring “war on corruption.”

Gbeisay made the statement during the official opening of the October Term of Court at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia.

The ceremony drew a packed audience of government officials, legal practitioners, foreign dignitaries, and members of the public, with President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, and top officials from all three branches of government.

Chief Justice Gbeisay, in a powerful and unapologetic address, vowed to restore integrity and efficiency within the justice system; long plagued by allegations of corruption, case delays, and public distrust.

“Corruption must go or corrupt people must go,” Gbeisay firmly declared, thereby setting the tone for one of the “boldest judicial reform agendas in recent memory.”

Though only two months into his tenure, Gbeisay disclosed that his Administration has begun implementing strategic reforms to address longstanding inefficiencies, particularly the chronic case backlogs in Commercial and Criminal Courts.

He spoke of how Commercial Court now operates with two active courtrooms to align with its three-judge structure, while Criminal Court ‘E,’ which handles sexual offense cases, has been divided to better manage its staggering caseload. These include 106 active cases, and 190 pretrial detainees; some of whom have been jailed for nearly a decade without trial.

“These delays are not only unjust, they are inhumane,” Justice Gbeisay stated, adding: “The prolonged detentions violate the rights of citizens, and undermines confidence in the rule of law.”

In a major step toward transparency, Chief Justice Gbeisay announced the creation of a Judicial Monitoring, Evaluation, and Accountability Unit; a watchdog body tasked with overseeing judges, magistrates, and court staff.

The unit, he said, will conduct unannounced inspections, have access to court records, and be empowered to gather photographic and audio evidence where necessary.

“Let it be clear, this unit is not for show. It is our internal police, and it means business,” he said to resounding applause.

Chief Justice Gbeisay also commissioned the General Auditing Commission (GAC) to conduct a comprehensive audit of the judiciary previous administration.

A Civil Service verification exercise, he said, has already uncovered ghost employees and salary irregularities, including instances where lower-ranking staff earned more than their superiors.

He pledged to immediately correct these discrepancies and ensure that staff beyond retirement age are properly retired by the end of the year.