MONROVIA – The Deputy Minister for Public Affairs at the Ministry of Information cultural Affairs & Tourism (MICAT), Daniel O Sando has been speaking on trending national issues, including public reactions to the establishment of the Office of the War and Economic Crimes Court in Liberia and crises at the University of Liberia, the procurement of buses in partnership with a Brazilian company, Marcopolo amongst other things.
“We all extol the government, particularly President Boakai, for taking a remarkable step to end the culture of impunity in Liberia,” he said at the MICAT Press Briefing Tuesday, June 25. He recalled the signing of Executive Order 131 to establish the War and Economic Crimes Court to curb impunity in Liberia.
He noted that the executive order requires the president to constitute the office of the War and Economic Crimes Court in Liberia, clarifying that the Office of the War and Economic Crimes Court is being confused with the establishment of court itself.
Sando further clarified that the office of the war and Economic Crimes Court is different from the two courts—the special court for war crimes and the Anti-Corruption Court which is intended to deal with plunderers of the economic resources of the country.
It can be recalled President Boakai days ago appointed the Executive Director of the office of the war and Economic Crimes Court, and Sando clarified noting at no point in time the War and Economic Crimes Courts have been established in earnest yet to deal with war and economic crimes issues in Liberia.
The Legislature, two month ago, he further recalled passed a joint resolution calling for the establishment of the two courts: the special court for war crimes to deal with atrocities committed during the civil war, and an anti-corruption court to deal with economic crimes.
He further said at the media engagement that President Bolakai has signed the Executive Order No. 131 establishing an office to pursue the establishment of the two courts, noting that the presidential move appears to be confusing some members of the public.
The Executive Order No. 131 issued by His Excellency did not establish the War and Economic Crimes Court, he emphasized, noting that establishing the War and Economic Crimes Court Office is in keeping with the executive order with a mandate to work with the international justice system to set up war and economic crimes court for Liberia.
On June 19, about six days ago, the president nominated a Liberian lawyer, Cllr. Jonathan Massaquoi, to oversee the office for the establishment of the war and economic crimes court for Liberia.
“It is interesting to note that Section l of the Executive Order establishing the office of war and economic crimes court for Liberia states that the office of the war and economic Crimes court shall be headed by an Executive Director, who among other things, will oversee the office,” Sando further clarified, maintaining that both courts are organs of the judiciary while the office of the war and economic crimes court is an organ of the executive.
He averred that with the pursuit of the establishment of these courts, the office will play more part; that is, the office of the war and economic crimes court would be determining who will be prosecuted; whether there will be a jury trial or how the cases will be decided.
Besides, he said, Section II of the Executive Order creating the office which is now headed by Executive Director, Cllr. Jonathan Massaquoi, states that the mandate, duration, tenure and other functions of the office shall come to an end and that the office will seize to function when the full establishment, functioning and coming into effect of the special war crimes court of Liberia and the anti-corruption court are established fully.
“None of these courts have been established, he continued. “The office will play its part in the functioning of these courts; and said the clarification was necessary in view of the sprouting of lots of groupings who are convening press conferences accusing Cllr. Jonathan Massaquoi of being double standard or conflicted.”
University of Liberia Crisis
On the mitigation role of the government in the University of Liberia crisis, the MICAT deputy spokesman confirmed the appointment of an interim leadership, pointing out that President Joseph Nyumah Boakai has relieved Dr. Julius S. Nelson of his duties as President of the University of Liberia after normal learning activities had come to a halt at UL during the last couple of weeks.
“We hope calm will now return to the University of Liberia with the president’s latest action,” he said. “The replacement of Dr. Nelson and his entire team has been a key demand of the protesting faculty members, and President Boakai, in concert with the Board of Trustees, acted swiftly to ensure that academic activities can resume in the soonest time possible.”
He said the Government of Liberia rendered Dr. Nelson a vote of thanks for his long years of service to the university and to the country.
“We now believe it is time for another management team to take over and run the affairs of the university,” Sando said.
H noted the exigency of the Board of Trustee the University working with former President of the institution, Dr. Al Hassan Conteh, who has been appointed as interim president to lead the interim management team until a new leadership of the university is constituted hopefully in the next three months.
The deputy minister said a committee is constituted to recommend the president of the university in next three months, saying that he hopes in the next few days, regular academic activities at the university will resume.
National Transit Authority Buses
Sando’s briefing also covered the importation of sample transport buses in the country and the prospect of more buses coming soon.
Deputy Minister Sando explained that the two buses of the National Transit Authority that were brought as sample are now being routing for testing of their road worthiness for a possible feedbacks and are now receiving mix-reactions from the public that the government had brought in buses.
“We take due note that life is resuming at the National Transit Authority under the new management team appointed by the Unity Party-led government,” he said, stating that the new buses had been road tested currently and “we commend the team headed by Mr. Edward Ford for his new arrangements at the public entity.”
The two new buses brought in by a Brazilian company following an agreement for more to come are now being road tested by NTA.
The buses are intended to fill the public transportation deficit in the in the country, by ensuring that our people have adequate access to quality public transportation services.
“Just to remind you,” Sando further said, “the NTA was fully functional and running when the UP led government left office in 2018, at which time the NTA was left with 27 buses in service and 39 more docked at the Freeport of Monrovia.”
According to him, the former Unity Party Government of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf handed over 66 functional buses to the government of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC).
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