Justice Minister Dean, Information Minister Rennie escape Jail Sentence …apologize to the Judicial Branch of Liberia

Fighting to retain the Independence image of the Liberia’s Judiciary, the Full Bench of the Supreme Court has rendered Justice Minister Cllr. Frank Musa Dean and Information Minister Ledgerhood Julius Rennie guilty for damaging the image of the Judiciary.

It can be recalled that after 11 of the 12 jurors of Criminal Court "C" rendered a not guilty verdict in the US$100 Million Cocaine Case in favor Makki Admeh Issam, Oliver Zayzay, Adulai Djibri Djalo, Malam Conte of the crime money laundering, unlicensed possession of controlled drugs, unlicensed importation of controlled drugs and criminal conspiracy, Justice Minister Dean condemned the verdict handed down by the jurors and negatively questioned the independence of the Liberia’s Judiciary publicly.

While Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism Minister, Rennie published g statement which justified the perceived corruption and lack of independence in the judicial branch of government of which disrupts the full bench of the Supreme Court.

Based upon that, on May 30, 2023 the Supreme Court summoned the two high government Ministers in a contempt charge but they failed to appear. The Supreme Court fined Dean and Rennie US$500 each for failure to appear in a contempt hearing. However, they later appeared and pleaded for mercy.

Handling down the ruling on August 11, 2023, Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene G. Yuoh said the utterances and statement by Cllr. Dean was intended to undermine the dignity and integrity of the courts, adding that those words used bring the entire Judicial Branch of Government into public and international disrepute of which the Chief Justice described as criminally contemptuous.

Chief Justice Yuoh emphasized on the unprofessional publication of those utterances by Co-contemnor Rennie without regards for the truth is also criminally contemptuous. She said Information Minister Rennie publishing Justice Minister statements having unjustifiably damaged the image of the country’s Judicial system.

She furthered that a disclaimer of intent coupled with a plea for mercy by the contemnors(Cllr. Dean and Rennie) are insufficient to quash the charges of contempt, and that want of intention is no excuse to purge contempt charges against a lawyer who has made opprobrious imputations to the courts and the Judiciary.

Justice Yuoh mentioned that those contemnors’ must be adjudged on the strength of the law and not sentiments. The highest priestess ruled that those Ministers are guilty of criminal contempt along with a comparable punishment in order to deter others who might want to embark upon similar effrontery towards the courts of this Republic.

Justice Minister Dean and the Minister of Information, Cultural and Tourism were fined the sum of $500.00 (Five Hundred United States Dollars) each to be paid into the Government's Revenue Account within 72 hours( Seventy-two hours) as of the rendition of the Judgment, and to present a receipt therefore to the Marshal of the Court.

With a mercy plea and fines imposed on both Ministers, the two absconded jail sentence. Chief Justice Youh instructed them to separately publish once a week for three weeks, in three (3) widely read newspapers of Liberia, an apology to the Judiciary Branch of Government to include therein a retraction of the May 20, 2023 statement within 72 hours as of rendition of this Judgment and a copy of each publication filed with the Clerk of this Court.

However, Chief Justice Youh warned Justice Minister and Information Minister Rennie that failure of which the Clerk of the Court is ordered to issue a commitment to be placed in the hands of the Marshal for their imprisonment in the common jail of Montserrado-County, until and unless they abide by the mandate herein.