The leadership of the Liberian National Bar Association (LNBA) has described as total misrepresentation of the facts a back-page story in the New Dawn newspaper’s September 29, 2022 edition, Volume 12, No. 175, with headline, “Lawyers Reject Justice’s Nomination”, and called on the paper to retract the story.
In a press statement issued Thursday, September 29, 2022, the LNBA noted that at no time did the leadership of the LNBA ever adopt a position to specifically reject the recent nomination of Judge Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay, Sr. as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia, but clarified that the retirement program of former Chief Justice, Francis Saye Korkpor, Sr., on Tuesday, September 27, 2022, in the chambers of the Supreme Court, expressed concerns of recent judicial appointments without, at least, consulting with the LNBA, which has been the practice and tradition and even validated by the LNBA constitution.
“As the Arm of Court, the LNBA is clothed with the authority to regulate all lawyers, which include inter alia to promote the sciences of jurisprudence, advance the cause of the education and help maintain the independence of the Judiciary, as well as to assist in the selection of those to be appointed as judges, among others,” the LNBA statement underscored.
The LNBA emphasized that it remains conversant with Article 54 (C), which expressly vests the appointing authority in the President of the Republic of Liberia to nominate and, with the consent of the Senate, appoint and commission the Chief Justice and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court and Judges of subordinate courts. According to the LNBA, based on the above objective, the Bar has in the past collaborated with the Judiciary in vetting competent lawyers before they are appointed by the President of Liberia.
Meanwhile, the LNBA has congratulated all members of the LNBA who were recently appointed and commissioned by the President of the Republic of Liberia, including Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene G. Yuoh. The LNBA says it remains open to working with all stakeholders in enhancing the rule of law in Liberia.