A recent report by the United States State Department on Liberia criticized the country for judicial inefficiency and corruption, lengthy pretrial detention, denial of due process and harsh prison conditions. During the period under review, the government dismissed officials for alleged corruption and recommended others for prosecution, the Report said.
Section 4 of the 2012 U.S. government’s Human Rights Report said the law does not provide criminal penalties for official corruption, although criminal penalties exist for economic sabotage, mismanagement of funds, and other corruption-related acts.
It stated that “Officials engaged in corrupt practices with impunity. Low pay levels for the civil service, minimal job training, and few court convictions exacerbated official corruption and a culture of impunity. The Liberian Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) and the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) are responsible for exposing and combating official corruption. The LACC is empowered to prosecute any case that the ministry declines to prosecute; however, the LACC remained a weak option because of underfunding, understaffing, and judicial bottlenecks. During the year the LACC investigated 16 cases and recommended eight for prosecution, resulting in one conviction.”
In July 2011 police rearrested a former Liberia Telecommunications Authority chairman for alleged bail jumping in the 2010 case of his reported misuse of 5.2 million LRD ($106,000). The first trial ended in a hung jury. In August, after a second trial, he was found guilty and sentenced to six years in prison.
Judicial Inefficiency
The 2012 United States government's Human Right Report said an estimated 78 percent of prisoners in Liberia were pretrial detainees, despite the release of hundreds (710) by the “Fast Track Court and 26 by the probation program to reduce overcrowding.”
It said, “Judges were susceptible to bribes for awarding damages in civil cases. Judges sometimes requested bribes to try cases, released detainees from prison, or found defendants not guilty in criminal cases. Defense attorneys and prosecutors sometimes suggested defendants pay bribes to secure favorable rulings from or to appease judges, prosecutors, jurors, and police officers.”
The report said police corruption was a problem. During the year the LNP investigated reports of police misconduct or corruption, and authorities suspended or dismissed several LNP officers. In April LNP authorities fired an officer for criminal activities and prohibited conduct. Another LNP officer was detained at the same time and was undergoing investigation on charges of fraud and theft for the alleged withdrawal of salaries of four other officers from Ecobank amounting to $1,730.
But in sharp reaction to the Report, Justice Minister Christian Tah said having inherited a completely dismantled social and justice system as a post-war country is determined to continue the improvements.
She told the Voice of America (VOA) on Monday the country has made significant progress in rooting out corruption and improving the justice system.
Both Tah and Anti-Corruption Commission Chairperson Frances Johnson-Allison agreed that corruption remains a menace in Liberia.
“In the first place, I have not read this report. I was only told about it this morning. I can only say, generally, that our people know where we have come from and our people know in the last six or seven years where we were and what we have done to come from where we were to where we are, and that well-meaning Liberians and foreigners partners know that we have improved significantly,” she said.
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