By: Emmanuel G. Toe
The Minister of Justice, Cllr. Oswald Tweh, has strongly rejected allegations made by the Office for the Establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court, headed by Executive Director, Jallah Barbu, that the Liberian government is deliberately delaying the establishment of the proposed court.
Speaking Thursday at a high-level dialogue organized by the United Nations Office for Human Rights in Monrovia, Minister Tweh described the claims as “false and misleading,” and dismissed suggestions that the Ministry of Justice is obstructing the process due to lack of political will or institutional support.
He explained that several draft bills for the establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court are currently in circulation, including submissions from the Executive Director’s office.
According to him, these documents are undergoing technical review and harmonization into a single consolidated bill before being transmitted to the National Legislature for consideration.
Minister Tweh emphasized that the government remains fully committed to the establishment of the court, noting that a number of executive actions have already been taken to advance accountability and post-conflict justice efforts in Liberia.
He further clarified that any perceived delays are not politically motivated but are instead the result of necessary technical coordination among stakeholders and the process of aligning multiple proposals into one coherent legal framework.
On funding concerns, the Justice Minister noted that disbursements were withheld by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning because the office had not submitted an approved and government-compliant expenditure plan.
