Monrovia – Leaked WhatsApp conversation from the Trial Judges’ chatroom revealed Traffic Court Judge Karsor Zubah being defended by several colleagues after a recent controversy.
By: Willie N. Tokpah/0777039231
A FrontPageAfrica report highlighted a Facebook post by Judge Zubah advertising iPhones for sale, raising questions about his adherence to Liberia’s Judicial Canon Six. In the post, dated Friday, June 28, Judge Zubah listed prices for various iPhone models, inviting potential buyers to contact him via Messenger.
Critics argue that this business activity violates Judicial Canon Six, which states that judges, as government-paid officials, must refrain from engaging in any business pursuits to maintain their dignity and impartiality. However, some legal practitioners contend that the Canon does not specify which types of businesses judges are prohibited from engaging in.
The leaked WhatsApp messages show mixed reactions among judges, with some calling for media attention on the challenges faced by the judiciary. One message read: “Good news that the journalist is well-schooled in the Canons, but did he read that very Canon VI to the end?”
Another judge commented: “The journalists in this country want to see us dying before they can write the real stories confronting us as Judges and Magistrates. The Editor never had any stories to complete his paper, so he decided to add my Facebook posting as news. They are wasting their time.”
This controversy comes amid recent remarks by Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene Gyapay Yuoh, who expressed concerns over the judiciary’s budget allocation. Speaking at an international judges’ conference on May 8, Chief Justice Yuoh criticized the low budget allocated to the judiciary compared to the Executive and Legislative branches, despite the Financial Autonomy Act of the Judiciary.
The Supreme Court has also objected to the proposed $17 million budget and an additional $3 million contingency fund for 2024, deeming it “grossly inadequate.” The judiciary argues that the insufficient budget will hinder its ability to deliver fair, efficient, and timely justice.
In a press release, the judiciary emphasized the need for adequate resources, with Cllr. Darryl Ambrose Nmah, Sr., director of public information services, stating that the allocation is an imposition by the Legislative and Executive branches on a co-equal branch of government.
The leaked chatroom messages underscore the judiciary’s challenges, highlighting the ethical constraints preventing judges from publicly addressing these issues.
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