Monrovia – The House Majority Bloc, led by Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon, is planning to introduce a resolution seeking the impeachment of Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene G. Youh, citing misconduct and gross breach of duty. The draft resolution, obtained by The Liberian Investigator, accuses Justice Youh of inciting a constitutional crisis, obstructing the judiciary, engaging in nepotism, and defrauding the public treasury. The Liberian Investigator has not independently verified any of these claims against the Chief Justice.
The move comes amidst tensions between the judiciary and the legislative branch following the removal of Speaker Fonati Koffa. The resolution alleges that the Chief Justice’s refusal to schedule key cases regarding the leadership crisis in the House of Representatives has plunged the country into uncertainty.
Inciting a Constitutional Crisis
According to the resolution, Chief Justice Youh has refused to schedule hearings on critical petitions related to the ongoing leadership struggle in the House. The document states that this has resulted in “a continuous and current constitutional crisis with two members claiming the Speakership and no adjudication of the matter.” The impasse has cast doubt on the legality of bills passed by the House, including the National Budget.
The resolution further accuses Justice Youh of mobilizing her colleagues on the Supreme Court bench to boycott President Joseph Boakai’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) in protest of the Minister of Justice’s interpretation of a Supreme Court ruling on the House leadership crisis. This, according to the document, was a “surreptitious artifice” to undermine the Executive’s authority.
Obstructing the Judiciary and Abuse of Power
According to the resolution, Chief Justice Youh has manipulated judicial appointments to serve her personal and political interests. It claims that she “submitted to the President a list of magistrates whose terms should not be renewed,” despite their experience and integrity, in an effort to purge the judiciary of individuals who do not align with her directives.
“The appointment of magistrates is a function of the President that should not be subject to the influence of the Chief Justice,” the document states, adding that her actions have compromised judicial independence and undermined the rule of law.
Nepotism and Alleged Fraud
Additionally, the House Majority Bloc accuses Chief Justice Youh of nepotism, claiming she appointed her biological daughter as a special assistant in her office despite a lack of qualifications. The resolution argues that this alleged act of favoritism created “a special level of employee not accountable generally to the system but only to her mother.”
The accusations extend to financial misconduct, with lawmakers alleging that the Chief Justice’s daughter is listed on the government payroll but is actually employed at a private medical facility. “The continuous act to pay from the government coffers an individual who does no work for the government except in name only is fraud upon the public treasury,” the document asserts.
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