A DISTURBING TREND is taking root in Liberia, and it dangers undermining the very pillars upon which our democracy stands. Below President Joseph Boakai’s new administration, a wave of politically delicate arrests — performed with out full adherence to due course of — is casting a protracted shadow over his much-celebrated ARREST agenda.
THESE DEVELOPMENTS RAISE severe considerations about selective justice, the erosion of the rule of legislation, and the rising notion that Liberia’s authorized establishments are being weaponized for political ends.
AT THE CENTER of this concern is a string of high-profile incarcerations, all unfolding beneath the general public gaze — but cloaked in troubling opacity. Former International Affairs Minister Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, former Basic Providers Company (GSA) Director-Basic Mary T. Broh, former Deputy International Minister Thelma Duncan Sawyer, and former Govt Director of the Nationwide Catastrophe Administration Company (NDMA) Henry O. Williams, together with three senior NDMA officers, had been Thursday detained for greater than three hours on the Monrovia Central Jail.
THEIR ARREST AND detention stem from allegations that they misappropriated 29,412 baggage of rice — valued at over US$425,000 — donated by the King Salman Humanitarian Help and Reduction Centre in 2023 for catastrophe victims throughout Liberia.
ACCORDING TO THE Boakai administration’s Particular Presidential Taskforce on Property Restoration, the rice — meant for Liberia’s most weak communities affected by fires, floods, and different calamities — was allegedly diverted for private and political profit. A forensic audit performed by the Basic Auditing Fee (GAC) types the spine of the fees, which embody theft of property, financial sabotage, prison conspiracy, and misuse of public workplace.
WHILE CORRUPTION MUST by no means be tolerated, the best way this case has been dealt with raises deeply troubling questions.
MULTIPLE CREDIBLE REPORTS point out that the arrest of those officers was executed in a way that bypassed judicial process. The presiding choose of Prison Courtroom “C” reportedly had not signed the jail dedication order on the time the accused had been transported to the Monrovia Central Jail.
LEGAL TEAMS — LED by revered figures resembling former Affiliate Justice Kabineh Ja’neh and veteran human rights advocate Cllr. Pearl Brown Bull — had been denied entry to their purchasers for hours, in direct violation of the detainees’ constitutional rights. Even Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe of Bomi County, who accompanied the authorized staff, was rebuffed on the jail gate.
THIS PROCEDURAL BREACH isn’t just a technicality — it strikes on the coronary heart of due course of. The concept that Liberians, irrespective of their political affiliations or previous service, may be imprisoned earlier than trial and with out full judicial authorization ought to alarm each citizen. The legislation should not solely be enforced — it should be seen to be enforced pretty, transparently, and constantly.
BUT THE RICE misappropriation scandal shouldn’t be the one take a look at of Liberia’s dedication to justice. Equally unsettling is the dealing with of the Capitol Constructing arson investigation — a case that has spiraled right into a political and authorized disaster with far-reaching implications.
IN JANUARY 2025, PARTS of Liberia’s Capitol Constructing — a logo of nationwide democracy — had been set ablaze. Initially handled as an easy act of arson, the investigation rapidly took a political flip. Former Home Speaker Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa and others had been named as suspects.
THE STATE FILED a movement to quash their prison look bonds, arguing that they didn’t replicate the severity of the crime. However the Monrovia Metropolis Courtroom dominated in opposition to the federal government, stating the bond met authorized requirements — a small however important authorized victory for the accused.
BEFORE THEN WAS a troubling sequence of statements and reversals from Liberia Nationwide Police Inspector Basic Gregory Coleman. At first, he informed the general public that the arrests had been based mostly on cautious intelligence gathering. Days later, that narrative shifted — the arrests had been now attributed to voluntary confessions and witness cooperation.
THE PUBLIC was left confused. No proof has been publicly disclosed, no course of clarified. Questions on how these confessions had been obtained — whether or not by way of intimidation, inducement, or drive — stay unanswered.
EVEN MORE disturbing are allegations from suspects that they had been subjected to bodily abuse, psychological intimidation, and even bribery makes an attempt by state brokers to coerce them into implicating political figures. Some detainees have claimed they had been overwhelmed, held with out cost for illegal durations, and denied entry to attorneys. These will not be idle claims. If true, they paint a damning portrait of a police drive working exterior the boundaries of legislation — with impunity and maybe beneath political instruction.
ONE OF essentially the most alarming developments is the reported disappearance of Christian Koffa, who was stated to have been in police custody however has since vanished with out hint. His destiny is unknown. If confirmed, this is able to represent an enforced disappearance — a gross violation of each Liberian and worldwide legislation.
THE AFRICAN Constitution on Human and Peoples’ Rights, together with the Worldwide Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), strictly prohibits such acts. Liberia, as a signatory, is now standing on the sting of worldwide condemnation if this case shouldn’t be resolved with full transparency and accountability.
IN THE face of such developments, it turns into more and more troublesome to separate justice from politics. The notion — and maybe the truth — is that Liberia is slipping right into a harmful period of selective enforcement, the place the accused will not be tried in court docket, however within the media, in political backrooms, or by the hands of overzealous legislation enforcement officers.
PRESIDENT BOAKAI’S ARREST agenda — which stands for Property Restoration, Restitution, Safety, and Transparency — was meant to revive integrity to public life. However justice can’t be pursued in a vacuum. Justice requires course of. It calls for equity, equality earlier than the legislation, and the presumption of innocence. It can’t be administered by coercion, shortcuts, or political vendetta.
IF PRESIDENT Boakai is severe about rebuilding public belief, then he should act instantly to revive credibility to the justice system. That begins with the appointment of an impartial particular prosecutor to research the Capitol arson case — not simply the suspects, however the conduct of the Liberia Nationwide Police, the Ministry of Justice, and every other authorities actors concerned within the investigation. This prosecutor should be granted full autonomy and shielded from political interference.
ADDITIONALLY, the federal government should evaluate the circumstances beneath which the rice scandal suspects had been jailed. Have been authorized procedures adopted? Was the choose’s order in place earlier than the switch to jail? Have been protection attorneys given correct entry? These will not be procedural formalities — they’re constitutional ensures.
THE COSTS of inaction are excessive. The rule of legislation in Liberia is hanging within the steadiness. Residents already mistrust official narratives. Now, they worry that the very establishments meant to uphold justice are getting used to settle scores and suppress dissent. The scars of previous impunity — from warlordism to elite corruption — nonetheless linger. We can’t afford to deepen these wounds.
LIBERIA HAS come too far to show again. Our democracy is younger, imperfect, and fragile — however it should be defended, particularly in moments like this. The integrity of our establishments should be non-negotiable. The dignity of our residents must not ever be secondary to politics.
JUSTICE MUST not solely be performed — it should be seen to be performed. That’s the solely approach to shield our democracy from decay, restore confidence in our establishments, and present the world that Liberia is dedicated to the rule of legislation.
THIS shouldn’t be merely a take a look at of management. It’s a take a look at of nationwide character. Let Liberia not fail it.
