Monrovia – Judge Peter Gbeneweleh of the Civil Law Court at the Temple of Justice has made an ultimate appeal to the Executive Branch of government to provide judges with security due to reported looming threat by anonymous callers.
Delivering his charge to mark the opening of the March 2016 Term of the Civil Law Court Monday, he told the gathering that on several occasions judges receive calls from anonymous sources with messages of threats, something he says cannot ignored.
The Civil Law Court Judge continued that they are vulnerable and need security because of the numerous threats and claimed that all over the world judges are accorded security but in Liberia the case is different.
“We don’t want to be victimized before action is taken to protect us, government is under obligation to provide security for all of its citizens” said Judge Gbeneweleh who stated that despite the numerous threats from the anonymous callers, judges remains courageous in their ruling. According to Judge Gbeneweleh Justices of the Supreme Court are appointed, commissioned and provided security but not judges of the subordinate courts who determine the fate of people.
In his charge (speech) Judge Gbeneweleh first gave thanks to God for the strength given him to witness the March 2016 opening of the Civil Law Court and also the Chief Justice Francis Korkpor in upgrading of the Civil Law Court by assigning two judges which he says with the assignment of two judges cases will drastically reduce on the docket.
To the lawyers the judge stressed that they should superintendent the assignment of cases, attend to court assignments and should submit their legal memoranda 10 days after pleadings have rested for legal issues raised in their pleadings so as to expedite the disposition of law issues.
He indicated that arbitration, investigative survey report should be made promptly within the time frame set by the court while he proposed that the Executive branch through the Liberian National Police (LNP) should aid the court officers in the enforcement of survey orders as well as the judgment of the court in land disputes and other related matters.
The opening of the March 2016 Term of the Civil Law Court brought together, magistrates, lawyers, party litigants, jurors as well as members of the Liberian National Bar Association (LNBA) and court staffs.
The Judge’s comment of life threat comes barely a month when the former Managing Director of the Liberia Petroleum Refinery Company Harry Greaves was found dead on a beach behind the Foreign Ministry. The late Greaves who has been buried was last seen entering the Robert Johnson Hotel on the Robertsfield Highway on Friday, February 1, 2016 and thereafter found dead two days later.
Amid mounting assertions by many Liberians that the late LPRC boss was murdered government’s sponsored autopsy on the body established that he died of drowning in salt water. Despite the pathologist report performed by American pathologist Thomas Bennett government has promised to investigate the matter to establish whether there was any foul play.
Reporting: Kennedy L. Yangian [email protected]