Monrovia – The president-elect of the Liberia National Bar Association, Cllr. Sylvester Rennie, has distanced himself from allegations that the Liberian government supported him financially and materially during the election with the purpose of safeguarding their interest with the portfolio.
Cllr. Rennie said the allegation published against him were far from the truth and were mere politics only intended by his opponents in the race to sway the voters’ attention at the time.
He challenged the media including FrontPageAfrica to be more rigorous in their investigations and stick to the ethics of journalism.
He said the overwhelming victory in the election speaks to the level of confidence in colleagues in the legal fraternity have in him as an outcome of how he has conducted and comported himself as an astute lawyer standing for what is right in society.
The LNBA new President-elect, Cllr. Rennie served as National Vice President under the administration of outgoing President Cllr. Tiawan S. Gongloe.
The Liberia National Bar Association brought together lawyers, magistrates, and judges, including law enforcers, among others. The elections were held in the Wuo Garbe Tarppia Hall, Peace Empire I Nimba under the Theme: ‘Corruption a threat to Peace and Rule of Law.’
Cllr. Rennie won with 218 votes, while Cllr. Jallah Barbu got 129 votes, Cllr. Alhaji Swaliho Sasey received 13 votes and Cllr. Abrahim Sillah obtained 114 votes .
Meanwhile, Cllr. Rennie has emphasized that the LNBA remains the common denominator for all lawyers and the single most important institution that needs to be upheld if lawyers are to wheel the respect they deserve in the Liberian society. He underscored that the LNBA remains the focal point, as he was elected to steer the affairs of the bar for only three years but the bar will continue to exist.
He declared the LNBA open, and encouraged every lawyer to come on board with his/her idea, noting that the day-to-day affairs of the bar are not dictated by a single individual but the National Executive Council, in the absence of National Convention.
The LNBA President-elect reminded his colleagues that campaign and election are over; as such, no lawyer should be left behind because their “team” was not elected. He lamented that there is no “team” at the level of the bar; if there is any then it is the LNBA itself, which represents the entire legal profession. “There is nothing like high-class or low-class lawyer; let’s all come together in moving the bar forward,” he noted.