Verity News has reviewed and summarized the speech of the Chief Justice of Liberia, His Honor Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay, Sr., into just twelve (12) slides, as attached:
1) On Jury Tampering:
“A corrupt jury is worse than no jury at all.”
2) On Abolishing the Trial Jury System:
“I hereby call on the Liberian people to abolish the trial jury system.”
3) On Presidential Appointment:
“A spokesman of the group, one Mike Jabateh, took to the media and openly declared that he will kill Cllr. Francis Korkpor, then Chief Justice of Liberia, the present government rewarded him with a ministerial position in government.”
4) On Judicial Independence:
“The independence of the judiciary is therefore not a privilege conferred upon judges for their personal benefit, political influence, economic pressure, or other improper consideration.”
5) On Ethnicity and Justice:
“I am a Chief Justice of Liberia, not the Chief Justice of any tribe.”
6) On Equal Justice:
“The law is blind, and it is the only tribe recognized before any court of competent jurisdiction in Liberia.”
7) On the Threat of Jury Tampering:
“If nothing is done to arrest the wave of jury tampering, there will be no successful trial, whether civil or criminal, in this jurisdiction.”
8)On the Rule of Law:
“We cannot build this nation on ethnicity.”
9) On Judicial Accountability:
“We can insist upon integrity. We can insist upon competence. We can insist upon accountability.”
10) On the Responsibility of the Judiciary:
“The courts remain the institution to which our citizens turn to for peaceful resolution of disputes, the protection of rights, the enforcement of obligations, and the interpretation and application of our laws.”
11) On the Purpose of Justice”
“Let justice be done to all.”
12) On National Unity:
“I want to use this occasion to call on all Liberians, especially my fellow Citizens in Gompa City, Nimba County, to unite irrespective of tribe or ethnic background.”
