Barbu Presses Legislature Again -OWECC-L Links Four Accountability Bills Together

MONROVIA – Liberia cannot prosecute war crimes, economic crimes or corruption when witnesses fear retaliation and doubt the state can protect them. That is the central warning behind Jallah A. Barbu’s demand for four linked laws covering witnesses, whistleblowers and accountability courts. His appeal places responsibility before the Legislature, where delays could weaken public confidence and Liberia’s international commitments. Courts require evidence, but witnesses may remain silent when protection is weak or concentrated in Monrovia. The proposed laws therefore concern more than institutional architecture. They determine whether victims can testify safely and whether prosecutors can build credible cases. With the United Nations General Assembly approaching, lawmakers face an obligation and an international test of seriousness. The Analyst reports.

MONROVIA — The Office for the Establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court for Liberia (OWECC-L) has urged the Legislature to fast-track amendments to the country’s Witness Protection and Whistleblower laws and pass the proposed War and Economic Crimes Court (WECC) and National Anti-Corruption Commission/Court (NACC) legislation.

The office warned that Liberia’s justice and accountability efforts could falter if witnesses, whistleblowers and victims remained afraid to provide evidence.

OWECC-L Executive Director Dr. Cllr. Jallah A. Barbu made the appeal during a high-level national dialogue held on September 3, 2026.

The dialogue was convened under the theme, “Strengthening Protection Mechanisms for Witnesses, Whistleblowers, and Victims: Advancing Liberia’s Anti-Corruption and Transitional Justice Commitments.”

Barbu maintained that effective witness protection remained indispensable to Liberia’s efforts to confront impunity, prosecute serious crimes and advance transitional justice.

He argued that citizens would remain reluctant to cooperate with investigators and prosecutors if the state could not guarantee their safety.

Four Laws Bound Together

According to Barbu, the proposed amendments to the Witness Protection and Whistleblower laws should not be considered separately from the WECC and NACC legislation. He described the four legal instruments as mutually reinforcing components of Liberia’s justice and accountability architecture.

“These amendments, and in fact the entire Witness Protection Act and the Whistleblower Act, are supportive of and interrelated instruments with the WECC and NACC Bills; they complement each other, as one cannot do without the other,” Barbu stated.

He renewed his earlier appeal to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., to encourage the Legislature to return and complete consideration of the four measures. Their passage, he maintained, would send a strong message about Liberia’s commitment to justice, accountability and the rule of law.

Barbu also argued that legislative action would provide Liberia with important deliverables ahead of the upcoming United Nations General Assembly. Continued delay, he suggested, could undermine the country’s international standing and raise doubts about the seriousness of its justice commitments.

OWECC-L additionally called upon lawmakers to complete the long-awaited Women, Peace and Security instrument. The office described the measure as an outstanding national commitment to Liberia’s international partners.

“These decisive actions will affirm more the implementation of the constitutional duty you swore to perform and the authority ‘We, the People’ conferred upon you to enact laws that are necessary and proper,” Barbu declared.

The organization warned that failure to act could weaken public confidence in the Legislature. Such inaction, it added, could cause voters to question whether their elected representatives were adequately responding to Liberia’s most pressing governance and justice concerns.

Fear Keeps Witnesses Silent

OWECC-L maintained that witnesses, whistleblowers and victims remained hesitant to provide information or testify because they feared retaliation. Many also lacked sufficient confidence in the country’s existing protection mechanisms.

“Fear is preventing witnesses, whistleblowers, and victims from coming forward,” the organization stated. It stressed that citizens would be less willing to cooperate with investigations and trials when they believed their security could not be guaranteed.

Barbu said an effective witness-protection system was particularly necessary as Liberia considered mechanisms to prosecute people accused of serious violations committed during the civil conflicts and those linked to major economic crimes. Without credible safeguards, he warned, even properly designed justice institutions could struggle to obtain the testimony and evidence required for successful prosecutions.

The OWECC-L executive director also challenged the Witness Protection Agency to decentralize its operations. He described decentralization as urgent if the protection program was to achieve meaningful national reach and serve citizens beyond Monrovia.

Barbu insisted that people who provided evidence in the pursuit of justice must not be abandoned or exposed to retaliation. Protecting them, he maintained, was both a legal obligation and a practical requirement for building cases capable of surviving judicial scrutiny.

“Liberia cannot effectively pursue transitional justice, fight corruption, or prosecute serious crimes without protecting the people whose testimony and information make justice possible,” Barbu concluded.

He urged the Executive and Legislature to treat passage and implementation of the proposed legal safeguards as a national priority.