Monrovia – Representative J. Fonati Kofffa(District #2 Grand Kru County) says he supports the establishment of War crimes court in Liberia but wants the infrastructure that will handle war crimes cases to be put in place.
Report by Henry Karmo, [email protected]
Speaking to FrontPageAfrica Tuesday, the Grand Kru County lawmaker clarified recent media reports suggesting that he was against the establishment of the court.
Rep. Koffa explained that his comments were taken out of context and wants to set the record straight that he does not oppose the establishment of war crimes court.
Said Rep. Koffa: “First of all I am for War Crimes Court and against impunity. “The father of my wife of 24 years was gruesomely murdered but here are the issues. Look at our past record, we cannot prosecute corruption, how will we be able to prosecute war crimes? We need to put in place the infrastructure.”
Rep. Koffa said additional training of the Judiciary is needed as well as training of lawyers. “The most important thing is that we need a statute that will do that. The constitution says the Supreme Court is the highest appellant body of the country. “If you bring a War Crimes Court here and arrest someone and they file for it to be dismissed for some reasons it’s going to our supreme court, and they will decide and normally it takes five years for them to make a decision.”
Appearing on the State Radio ELBC, the Grand Kru representative recommended that model of justice system is necessary to ensure a proper and substantive prosecution and retribution on what has happened during the country’s bitter past. “I will move for a model of the International criminal court. We cannot by-pass it or short cut it resulting into more harm than good.”
“First of all I am for War Crimes Court and against impunity. “The father of my wife of 24 years was gruesomely murdered but here are the issues. Look at our past record, we cannot prosecute corruption, how will we be able to prosecute war crimes? We need to put in place the infrastructure.”
– Rep. J. Fonati Koffa, Grand Kru County Lawmaker
Rep. Koffa continued: “What have we done about the victim, how are we rehabilitating them? What is the cost for this infrastructure? This is not about announcing War Crimes Court and going to arrest everybody, it is much bigger than that.”
Speaking further Rep. Koffa said, if the issue of War Crimes is to become a success story, Liberia must have the ability to absorb what those decisions will lead to Liberia into. “I believe we cannot do that without the support of our International partners. They have to step in here they cannot just shy away. They have to get involve with the cost and Management because they were our partners when we got out of the civil war.”
Rep. Koffa headed the Special Presidential Taskforce that investigated the Sable Mining bribery allegation that linked several former and current officials of government to allegation soliciting bribe from investors to pass a law.