MONROVIA — The Liberian National Bar Association (LNBA), through its President Cllr. Sylvester Rennie, has expressed that the recent budget of US$17 million allotted to the Judiciary Branch of Government is insufficient and unrealistic. Cllr. Rennie stated that if President Joseph Nyumah Boakai wants a functional judiciary void of corruption, he must allocate at least US$25 million to the third branch (Judiciary) of Government.
Report by Garmah Lomo, Contributing Writer
In his first State of the Nation address in January this year, President Boakai said, “Our justice system, which is meant to protect the innocent and punish the guilty, has been marred by inefficiency, corruption, and lack of public trust.”
Although President Boakai emphasizes the rule of law in his ARREST Agenda, the state of the rule of law under his administration, less than a year in, is gradually deteriorating.
At a news conference held at the LNBA head office in Monrovia, Cllr. Rennie expressed disappointment and surprise over the budgetary allocations made to the Judiciary Branch by the government. He asserted that the Judiciary Branch has long been treated as an ordinary agency of government concerning budgetary allocations, which has undermined and impeded the activities of the courts and other judicial functionaries.
The LNBA noted that out of the total budget appropriations for FY-2024 of US$738,859,837 (seven hundred thirty-eight million, eight hundred fifty-nine thousand, eight hundred thirty-seven United States dollars), the Judiciary is allotted only US$17,000,000 (seventeen million United States dollars). This amount is deemed very inadequate to address some of the pressing challenges faced by the Judiciary, including the construction of judicial complexes in some counties.
The Bar emphasized that the rule of law is a pivotal pillar under the ARREST Agenda of the Boakai administration. Allocating such a minimal budget to a branch of government with compelling priorities, while ordinary agencies under the Executive Branch receive more funds, is a disservice to the rule of law sector and undermines access to justice.
Cllr. Rennie further stated that most magisterial courts in the country are presided over by non-lawyers. To attract qualified lawyers to these positions, necessary incentives must be provided by the Judiciary. These incentives should be included within the Judiciary’s budget. Without them, it becomes difficult for the Judiciary to attract the caliber of lawyers needed for these positions.
Additionally, debt, probate, tax, and sexual offenses courts have been established in all counties, but only a few have judges due to budgetary constraints. This situation has caused the dockets of Circuit Courts across the country to be overcrowded, as Circuit judges must assume jurisdiction over these various courts.
“In order for a more functional Judiciary, there must be realistic budgetary appropriations made to the Judicial Branch to enable it to render the kind of judicial services expected of it,” the LNBA stated.
The Bar also questioned the significant disparity in budget allocations among the three branches of government, which are equal under the law yet separate but coordinate. The Judiciary’s budget is consistently the lowest, highlighting a clear segregation in budget appropriation.
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