Monrovia – Cllr. Charlyne Mnamah-Mar Brumskine has issued a strong warning against corruption in Liberia’s justice system, calling it a betrayal of public trust and urging lawyers and judges to take bold steps toward accountability and reform.
Speaking at the 2025 Annual General Assembly of the Liberian National Bar Association (LNBA) at the Temple of Justice, Cllr. Brumskine left little to interpretation. Her keynote speech was a direct challenge to the conscience of the nation’s legal community.
“When I got off the phone with President Varmah and realized I was going to speak about corruption, I said, ‘Doggit! The thing weh our two immediate past Presidents have called a vampire and the biggest threat to our democracy… dah the one I coming talk about,’” she recalled to a mix of laughter and shock.
Brumskine, a lawyer and politician with a name steeped in Liberian legal history, said the problem is not just corruption itself—but the growing acceptance of it within the legal sector.
“If the law is sacred,” she declared, “then corruption is its desecration.”
She pointed to numerous examples—files mysteriously disappearing, cases influenced by bribes, and outcomes shaped not by facts but by relationships or political clout. “When a bribe changes the outcome of a case, when a file goes missing, when influence outweighs evidence—we do more than commit an injustice. We break faith with the people we are meant to serve.”
Her tone was urgent and personal. “I am one of those who has a seat at the table of lawyers and also the table of politicians,” she said. “People like me willingly jump into shark-infested waters thinking we can help save those who are drowning—even when we ourselves are drowning.”
Despite the chaos of politics, Cllr. Brumskine reaffirmed her love for the law. “Unlike politics, my success in the law depends on how much effort I put in—my research, my writing, my dedication. The law is not a popularity contest.”
She warned that the boundaries between law and politics in Liberia have become dangerously blurred. “Where ballot boxes go missing during elections, files at the court should never mysteriously disappear. The law is the law—or is it?”
To explain the dynamic between politics and law, Cllr. Brumskine used a biblical metaphor, likening the two to twin brothers Jacob and Esau. “Politics may be like Esau—loud, visible, impulsive. But law, like Jacob, should be strategic, thoughtful, enduring. It is time for the better twin to rise.”
She reminded her audience/colleagues that the law is not just a career—it is a sacred duty. “The law exists to uphold justice, protect rights, and maintain order. That gives it a moral gravity. It binds even the most powerful to its framework and promises protection to the weakest. It is what separates civilization from chaos.”
But in Liberia, she said, that promise has been betrayed.
“Corruption in the legal sector is not just a flaw—it is a betrayal,” Brumskine repeated. “It damages the entire legal system. It undermines the credibility of the bench, the integrity of the bar, and the very idea of fairness.”
She issued a clear challenge to her colleagues: “Are we silently tolerating the very practices that weaken our profession from within?”
Brumskine said it was time to build a culture of accountability. “The LNBA must build a system where no lawyer is above the law and no judge is beyond question,” she said. “Let our disciplinary committees not only protect us but challenge us to live up to the oath we took.”
She said senior lawyers should mentor younger ones—not just in legal skills but in ethics. “Let our wisdom be shared, not hoarded,” she said. “Senior Counsellors should hold monthly discussions with struggling or younger lawyers, especially those grappling with ethical dilemmas.”
She also stressed that ethics committees within the LNBA and county bar associations must be empowered and independent. “Complaints should not be buried in bureaucracy or silence,” she said. “Judges and lawyers must speak up when due process is violated. Silence is complicity.”
Cllr. Brumskine called for practical continuing legal education—not just theory, but training based on real-life scenarios. “Teach not only what the law says, but how lawyers are tempted to twist it—and how to resist that temptation.”
She closed with a passionate plea for transparency. “Let the public see that we police our own. When we discipline one of our own, we show Liberia that the law is still sacred.”
Her final words were both a prayer and a warning. “Let your word be your bond. Let your name be your honor. Let your legal practice be your prayer for a better Liberia. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?”
Earlier, Cllr. Bonor Varmah, President of the LNBA, had opened the Assembly with a more measured but equally determined tone.
“This gathering is not just a customary event—it is a constitutional obligation and a moment to renew our commitment to the rule of law and justice,” Varmah said.
He called the legal profession “a pillar in Liberia’s legal framework” and reminded his colleagues of their duty in a country where the rule of law is constantly tested.
“We gather at a critical juncture in our nation’s history,” he said. “The integrity of our legal institutions, access to justice, and judicial independence are all under pressure.”
He described lawyers as “guardians of justice, the voice for the voiceless, and the architects of a legal system that must serve all Liberians fairly and equitably.”
Varmah urged members to see the Assembly as more than a meeting. “This is a call to duty,” he emphasized. “Let our discussions lead to action. Let us recommit ourselves to the highest standards of legal practice and professional ethics.”
With that, he formally declared the Assembly open. “May our deliberations be fruitful, and may we continue to uphold the integrity and values of the legal profession in Liberia.”
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