Monrovia-Liberia, Thursday, September 12, 2024 – The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission has taken its anti-corruption crusade to the Judiciary and other sectors, with the provision of anti-corruption training for judicial workers, integrity institutions and Civil Society Organizations in Margibi, Lofa, Nimba and Bong Counties.
With the Judiciary, a crucial component of the country’s governance system, the training Participants include Judges, Sheriffs, Magistrates, Clerks, and Bailiffs of the Courts.
The goal of the three-day workshop, taking place in Gbarnga Bong County, is to educate relevant stakeholders on the concept of corruption and existing legal frameworks, in a bid to foster an inclusive citizen participation, and promote transparency and accountability within their communities.
LACC Executive Chairperson Cllr. Alexander Zoe, at the opening ceremony Wednesday said the initiative seeks to enhance citizens corruption reporting mechanisms and further strengthen collaborations between integrity institutions and the Judiciary.
Cllr. Zoe added, “Integrity Institutions and the Judiciary are indispensable state actors in the fight against corruption in any or all democracies across the world. Integrity institutions embody the key tenets of democracy and good governance, and perform a watchdog role by educating and investigating the operations of public parastatals. This is an awesome responsibility, and as the adage says, he who come with equity, must come with clean hands. Public expectations about Integrity institutions are high, and rightfully so”.
The Judiciary plays a very important role in the fight against corruption, as all corruption investigations and cases end on the courts’ ducket for adjudication. Hence, the choice of participants for the workshop has been hailed by local officials, drawn from the four Counties under consideration.
County Attorneys and Judges for Margibi, Nimba, Lofa and host Bong, lauded the LACC and partners for the consideration and expressed deep support and cooperation in the fight against corruption. They stressed the importance of decentralization in the anti-corruption fight and called for empowerment of regional institutions to improve governance and social accountability.
“The Judiciary is situated between the Executive and the Legislature. The Legislature has statutory mandate to make laws while the Executive enforces the law. The Judiciary is responsible to interpret laws and oversee the dispensation of justice in a speedy, transparent and impartial manner. The Judiciary can either promote or restrain the civil liberty of citizens, political parties, and the use of such power has implications for peace and stability, foreign direct investments, among others” added the LACC Boss.
The Executive Chairperson also believes there could not be a better time for this training than now, noting that staff of Integrity Institutions need such training to understand how the Liberian society perceives them, so that they can conduct their public and private lives with the highest standards of integrity and accountability.
“In the same way, Judiciary personnel, regardless their job portfolio, should at no time be taken for granted in the larger scheme of things in the Judicial system. Judicial officers, such as Sheriffs, Bailiffs, Judges, Magistrates, Justice of the Peace, can influence the outcomes of trials for better or for worse. A self-centered judicial officer can compromise the interest of the state for his or her selfish interest, and ensure that a corrupt public official who should be held liable for betraying the public trust, is given a not guilty verdict. On the other hand, a patriotic, honest and trustworthy judiciary staff who prefers the state above his personal comfort and convenience, would pass a guilty verdict against a corrupt public official, and perhaps goes to sleep in a modest accommodation. He/she takes consolation in doing the right thing” Cllr. Alexandra Zoe told the gathering at the Gbarnga YMCA Building in Central Liberia.
The training is being conducted with support from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), through funding from the UN Peacebuilding Fund. Mr. Stanley Kamara, on behalf of UNDP’s Deputy Resident Representative, thanked the LACC for its sustained efforts aimed at curbing corruption. Mr. Kamara then urged citizens to play an active role in the anti-corrupting fight, noting that corruption undermines good governance, development, and peace.
Mr. John Richmond Dennis, Coordinator of the UN Peacebuilding Fund in Liberia, representing the office of UN Resident Coordinator, reassured the UN’s continuous commitment to supporting anti-corruption programs and initiatives in Liberia aimed at improving the quality of lives for Liberians.
The three-day training in Gbarnga is under the project, titled ‘Empowering Citizens and Communities to Foster Social Accountability and Transparency in Governance and Public Service Delivery’. It is themed ‘Enhancing Justice and Transparency and Building Integrity through Collaborative Governance.
