Breaking News: Liberia: Chief Justice Stops Tiawan Gongloe from Speaking at Associate Justice Kaba’s Seating Program on the Supreme Court Bench

Monrovia – A drama unfolded today, May 20, 2019, in the Supreme Court of the Temple of Justice when the President of the Liberia National Bar Association (LNBA), Cllr. Tiawan Gongloe, was forcefully ejected from the stage when he was in flight delivering remarks.

Report by Kennedy L. Yangian, [email protected]

The Bar President, Cllr. Gongloe, and Justice Minister Musah Dean were two officials selected to make remarks at the seating program of Associate Justice Yussif D. Kaba. Justice Kaba was replacing impeached former Associate Justice Kabineh Mohammed Ja’neh.

As he spoke, Cllr. Gongloe was hijacked in flight when he stated that the LNBA maintains that the impeachment proceedings against former Associate Justice Ja’neh was “unconstitutional and a product of violation of a court order.”

“The Senate violated Article 73 of the Constitution. The removal of a Justice for performing a legal justice creates a precedent that has the potential of making other judges, especially of subordinate courts to be afraid to freely perform their legal duties when it comes to cases in which the interest of government or powerful persons or entities are involved thereby defeating the purpose for which courts exist in our system of government,” Cllr. Gongloe said.

As soon as the Bar President had made this statement, which is on page one of a three-page speech, the Chief Justice banged his gavel on his desk, which signaled to the learned Gongloe that he should immediately stop. So, he didn’t deliver his full speech, which included a caution to the Full Bench of the Supreme Court to standup in defense of the rights of each other against any illegal action from the Executive or the Legislature.

Chief Justice Korkpor said the Bar President was asked to come and speak on the seating of the new Associate Justice, which was the theme of the occasion.

“If you did not come here to speak for this cause it was better for you to have stayed away. No one spoke about Ja’neh in this Court. If you continue to exhibit this attitude, we will not allow you to speak at court opening. As a lawyer, the other day you came here and said the Court was responsible for the deaths of 250,000 people during the civil conflict. This was unfair to us!”

One lawyer told FrontPageAfrica outside the Supreme Court: “This is disgraceful to Liberia; the Chief Justice, who should be the main protector of the right to speak freely, is now a dictator and is barring Freedom of Speech and of Expression.” However, outside the court, Cllr. Gongloe defiantly told reporters that the LNBA still maintains its stance.