The Supreme Court has condemned an attack on the home of George S. Wiles, Resident Judge of the 7th Judicial Circuit, Grand Gedeh County, by some protesters.
According to a press release from the Judiciary, the incident took place on Wednesday, December 13, 2023. The protesters were demanding the unconditional release from detention of their kinsmen (defendants) who are facing trial for multiple criminal offenses.
The release said the action of the protesters endangered the lives of the Judge and his family, undermining the importance of upholding the rule of law and maintaining the independence, neutrality and integrity of the courts.
The court emphasized the need for citizens of Grand Gedeh in particular and Liberia in general to be accountable for their actions and to seek redress through lawful means. “Cognizant of the fact that opinions/rulings of the courts on a particular matter may or may not appease a particular party, the court will never and can never adjudicate a matter brought before it based on sentiments, desires, whims or caprices of a contending party or the public, but rather based on the fundamental principles of the Liberian Constitution and the controlling,” the release said.
Therefore, the release noted, “The court cannot be and will not be coerced or intimidated to render a decision in a matter brought before it based on the sentiments of the parties or the public, as such will defeat the tenets of justice and erode the very foundation of Liberia’s democracy.”
It can be recalled that last year the Supreme Court of Liberia held seven local officials of Bong County in criminal contempt of the court for vandalizing the magisterial courts in Salala, Bong Mines and Gbartala, and subjecting a Magistrate to physical humiliation. As a result of these “wrongdoing and dreadful acts”, the Supreme Court sentenced them to six months’ imprisonment at the Monrovia Central Prison as deterrence and as means to protect the sanctity of the Liberian Judiciary.
“The Court calls on all citizens and residents of Liberia to respect and adhere to the rule of law and to desist from any act that tends to undermine the administration of fair and impartial justice,” the release noted.