Report by Kennedy L. Yangian, [email protected]
Monrovia – The Criminal Court ‘C’ at the Temple of Justice is yet to adjudicate at least 156 cases, which some describe as “very high.”
Under the country’s laws and practices the Criminal Court “C’ operates under four terms yearly — February, May, August, and November terms — with a 42-day sitting and holds only one jury trial. It has one presiding judge.
Current report from the court shows that it has recorded on its docket up to 156 cases some of which date as far back as 2011.
The release of the calendar of cases of the court this week comes amid the opening of the May 2018 Term of Court that was declared formally opened on Tuesday, May 15, across the 15 counties by Chief Justice Francis Korkpor.
Theft and mis-aplication of entrusted property are two cases that top the list of the court. “Theft of Property” totals 91 while “Mis-application of Entrusted Property” also totals 23.
Other cases recorded include “Economic Sabotage,” 6, “Bribery” 3, “Burglary/robbery” 14, “Money Laundering” 2, “Criminal Conveyance of Land” 14 and “Unlicensed Importation of Controlled Drugs/Substance,” 3.
An official of the court, who spoke to this paper on the basis of anonymity, stated that the 156 cases pending before the court are not for this May Term of Court alone but for years to come as more and more cases will be added to them.
“The court has tried very hard to conduct hearings in order to reduce these cases before it. Whenever we adjudicate up to three cases there will be more than 10 more cases coming before the court,” said the court source.
In the wake of the slow pace of the adjudication of cases at the Criminal Court ‘C,’ human rights lawyer Cllr. Dempster Brown has proposed for the extension of the Criminal Court “C” with an additional court to be named as Criminal Court “B” to ease the stock-pile of cases under a single judge.
Cllr. Brown made the proposal when he was interviewed by this paper early this year over what he made up of President George Weah’s plan to fight corruption in the CDC-led government.
“In my mind since President Weah has vowed to fight corruption there is no need to establish a fast track court to fight corruption. All he has to do extend the Criminal Court ‘C’ to two ‘A and B’ for speedy trial,” said Cllr. Brown. He alluded that in fighting corruption, a government official who is tried and found guilty, his/her properties but be confiscated.”
The Criminal Court ‘C,’ formerly known as the People’s Court, was established during the 1980 by a decree of the then People’s Redemption Council (PRC), a military Junta that overthrew the civilian government of former President William R. Tolbert.
The mandate of the court was to try cases originating out of economic crimes with the most recent pending one being the Sable Mining Bribery Case involving former and current government officials.
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