Courts Thrown Out in Lofa
There are no homes for local courts in Lofa County, most especially in Voinjama District. Residents are reported to be expressing disappointment and fear about this, with regards to the dispensation of justice in that part of Liberia.
Our correspondent in the region quotes residents as saying that many of buildings at home to these courts are rented. Regrettably, owners of the structures hosting court houses have thrown out their tenants, leaving the latter’s with no chambers to adjudicate cases, especially with less than a week to the formal opening of the May term of Court.
According to correspondent Tokpa Tarnue, the Tenth Judiciary Circuit Court is greatly affected. Tarnue said about a week ago, the court was evicted from a building it occupied for about 2 years at the National Unification site in Voinjama.
As a result of the eviction, the Court conducts its affairs in the conference room of the guest house of the Voinjama administration building in Voinjama.
The Supreme Court of Liberia has embarked on the construction of a number of court houses throughout the country, including Monrovia as a way of creating the enabling environment for the adjudication of justice by judges and other court officials.
The absence of court houses in Lofa County, when the issues of judicial reforms are being made practical by the Supreme Court of Liberia may just be a surprise. Perhaps, Lofa County will just be the next in continuation of the construction exercise by the Supreme Court of Liberia.
