MONROVIA – The Office of the Ombudsman has hinted signs of readiness to initiate an investigation into allegations of misconduct against Chief Justice Gbeisay, following a complaint filed by Attorney Isaac W. Jackson, Jr.
Attorney Jackson’s complaint stems from the Chief Justice’s nomination of his son for a magisterial position, which Jackson argues constitutes nepotism and a clear breach of Liberia’s laws and ethical standards.
The head of the Liberian judiciary attempted to uphold the appointment of his son citing rights to work and competence despite public outrage until President Joseph Boakai moved in and dismissed Cllr. Gbeisay from the high judicial post.
The Ombudsman’s Office confirmed receipt of the complaint and assured Attorney Jackson that the matter will be investigated expeditiously.
In a letter to Attorney Jackson, the Administrative Assistant to the Ombudsman, Younger McGill, emphasized that the institution takes the matter seriously and that no public official, including the Chief Justice, is above ethical scrutiny.
The Ombudsman’s Office will conduct a thorough investigation into the allegations, and Attorney Jackson has pledged his full cooperation with the process.
The investigation comes on the heels of Attorney Jackson’s commentary, “Chief Justice Gbeisay Must Resign – Now!”, in which he argued that the Chief Justice’s conduct constitutes an inchoate offense and a substantial attempt to distort and corrupt Liberia’s laws against nepotism.
The outcome of the investigation is expected to shed more light on the matter and determine the next steps to be taken.
In an email addressed to Atty. Jackson by the Administrative Assistant to the Ombudsman’s Office, Ms. Younger McGill, the institution, expressed gratitude to Atty. Jackson for bringing the matter to their attention and assured him that the complaint will be investigated expeditiously.
The Ombudsman’s Office further emphasized that it takes the matter very seriously, underscoring that no public official — including the Chief Justice — is above ethical scrutiny.
For his part, Atty. Jackson thanked Cllr. Finley Karngar and his colleagues at the Office of the Ombudsman for initiating the investigation, pledging his full cooperation with the process.
Atty. Jackson reaffirmed that the law stands above all social classes and therefore urged the Ombudsman’s Office to apply the law without fear or favor.
IT CAN BE RECALED, Atty. Isaac W. Jackson, Jr. wrote a commentary titled “Chief Justice Gbeisay Must Resign – Now!”
In that commentary he wrote: “Surely, the boy is wiser than his father, Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay. Given his father’s poor judgment, should we keep Gbeisay as Chief Justice? An obvious no to the question is imperative!
“Chief Justice Gbeisay’s conduct in nominating his son for a magisterial position, in my view, constitutes the most persuasive evidence that he is unfit to head the judiciary. Not only did he mislead the President of the Republic to advance his personal interests, but he also distorted and corrupted the law in the process.
“Having a flat-earther as any country’s chief scientist would be absurd. The same level of absurdity applies to having a Chief Justice who doesn’t believe that nepotism violates universal ethical standards and Liberia’s laws against it.
“Before his son’s resignation, the chief justice’s defense of his son’s appointment could come only from someone with a defective legal education, given that the law prohibiting nepotism is obvious, from Article 5 of the Liberian Constitution to the Code of Conduct and Judicial Canons 9, 14 and 28. So, how did we end up with a chief justice who has zero respect for our laws? Does this man genuinely believe that our laws support nepotism?
“How are we supposed to continue with the justiceship of a man who is not just bereft of the law against nepotism but is oblivious to the revulsion of our people against nepotism?
“Regarding our people’s revulsion against nepotism, one may recall that the Tolbert Administration, for example, was pilloried and severely criticised for practicing nepotism. Even the regime in which I served as Deputy Minister and subsequently Liberia’s Permanent Representative to IMO was denounced for the semblance of nepotism. So, where has the Chief Justice been? Has he been living under a rock, not to have avoided the scathing criticism of the people? Or he just thought to make the government look bad and bring the judiciary into public disrepute? It beats my imagination how some people are addicted to repeating past wrongs.
“Anyway, I have submitted a letter of complaint to the ombudsman, asking them to call out the Chief Justice, as his conduct constitutes an inchoate offense – a substantial attempt to distort and corrupt our laws against nepotism.
“Unless we collectively call for the resignation of Chief Justice Gbeisay, we risk being unwittingly complicit in his judicial misconduct.
“Mind you, with the passivity of a large section of our country, Justice Emmanuel Gbalazeh enabled former President Doe to commit some of the heinous crimes in our country. Similarly, some of our people look on passively as Justice Korpkor endorsed the premature termination of my tenure as Liberia’s Permanent Representative to IMO, as well as his endorsement of the unconstitutional impeachment of Justice Ja’neh.
“By way of digression, if Liberia were a functioning democracy with an independent legislature, the Boakai administration would by now be history, owing to the Minister of Justice’s grave misjudgement of the Supreme Court opinion and his misguiding of President Boakai into crowning and addressing an illegitimate Speaker, in clear violation of Article 58 of the Liberian Constitution.
“Given the foregoing, we must be vocal in demanding Justice Gbeisay’s resignation before he plunges our dear country into an even bigger legal disaster. Let us not forget that Justice Gbalazeh’s worshipful esteem for former President Doe witnessed the murder of over 250,000 of our people.
“Without the slightest exaggeration, Justice Gbeisay may laughably go down in the Guinness World Records as the only Chief Justice to openly regard nepotism as justified and falling within the permissible bounds of legal ethics. How can we, in clear conscience, continue with his man? Personally, for me, anyone who believes that nepotism is justified and considers it permissible under the law or ethics has no place in our courts, let alone in the office of the Chief Justice.
“You see, William Penn was right when he articulated that knowledge is the treasure, but judgment is the treasure of a wise man. The lack of sound legal judgment on the part of Justice Gbeisay renders him an enemy of our law and/or Constitution. Hence, he must RESIGN!”