Liberia: Dr. Jallah Barbu Pledges to Work with Everyone “to Address Impunity at Highest Level” as Head of Office of War and Economic Crime Courts

MONROVIA, Liberia— Dr. Jallah Allen Barbu, a former presidential candidate and dean of the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law of the University of Liberia, has pledged to work with everyone as the new Executive Director of the Office of War and Economic Crimes Courts.

By Anthony Stephens with New Narratives

Dr. Barbu’s appointment by President Joseph Boakai came more than two months after the president  fired Cllr. Jonathan Massaquoi, the previous head of the Office, amid a chorus of concerns from major donors and leading activists and lawyers about the lack of transparency surrounding Cllr. Massaquoi’s appointment.

In an interview with FrontPageAfrica/New Narratives Dr. Barbu thanked the president for his appointment and pledged to work with all stakeholders in Liberia’s historic transitional justice process.

“It’s a huge task, but I braced myself for this and that’s why I applied for it,” said Dr. Barbu in a phone call. “Because I knew this is something that I can do. I mean not in my own strength, but with the grace of God and all the actors on board we will get it done. And it’s for the good of the Liberian people.”

Dr. Barbu said he was committed to making sure the courts deliver the justice that so many Liberian victims crave and to ending impunity for war related crimes in Liberia.

“This is a national call,” said Dr. Barbu. “It’s not one that you look at a certain group of people and think that you cannot deal with them. This is about our country. This is about justice. This is about ensuring that people can live together happily. And for that to be done of course, we have to address impunity at its highest level no matter what it takes.”

Experts say Dr. Barbu’s office will draw up a roadmap for the country’s transitional justice process. The Office will draft statues for the courts, decide on what model they take, staffing, location and other key issues. The executive director will take charge of lobbying government and international donors for funding for the courts.

The appointment came after a committee appointed by the president vetted applicants for the role. The committee was chaired by the Justice Ministry, and included Sylvester Rennie, president of the Bar Association, the Independent National Commission on Human Rights, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), the African Union, the Inter-Religious Council of Liberia, the National Civil Society Council of Liberia, a national NGO focused on transitional justice, a national NGO focused on human rights. The Boakai administration has not named the NGOs focused on transitional justice and human rigths that it said were part of the committee. Justice Ministry officials have not also responded to  requests as to whether Ecowas and the AU withdrew from the committee before it completed its work.

The president’s office was eager that this process be seen to be more inclusive of victims and civil society after the widespread condemnation of the appointment of Cllr. Massaquoi. Major donors – who will be key to funding the court – also expressed their displeasure with the opaque process that led to the first appointment, making it almost impossible for the president to keep Mr. Massaquoi in place.

An Executive Mansion release said the president had “full confidence that Cllr. Barbu will carry out this vital role with unwavering dedication, a commitment to justice, and loyalty to the state as he looks forward to the significant contributions the new Executive Director will bring to the Office of the War and Economic Crimes Court in pursuit of justice for Liberia.”

Despite concerns about the lack of transparency about the committee’s work and no public information about how many people applied to the office or who made the final three names submitted to the president, Dr. Barbu’s appointment has attracted support from key players.

“Cllr. Jallah Barbu’s appointment couldn’t have come at a much better time,” said Mr. Hassan Bility, Director of Global Justice and Research Project by text. Together with Swiss justice activists, Civitas Maxima, Global Justice has documented alleged war-related crimes and presented them to investigators in Europe and the US for prosecution. “Liberians were beginning to doubt the truism in the actualization of the court. As it stands, Barbu enjoys the support and confidence of all the actors in the process and we intend to support him. We also call on the international community to trust and support the process.”

In a joint statement, Global Justice and Civitas, which had openly opposed Cllr. Massaquoi’s appointment, said, “We reiterate our willingness to collaborate in any way we can with Mr. Barbu’s office in fulfilling part of its important mission: to give Liberian victims access to justice in Liberia and to hold perpetrators to account.”

Mr. Peterson Sonyah, head of the Liberia Massacre and Survivors Association, was another critic of Cllr. Massaquoi’s appointment. But in a phone interview, he said his group was willing to work with Dr. Barbu if “he is willing to work with victims across the country. To get them at the table to have a discussion, we have nothing to worry about. But if it doesn’t go the way that we expect things to go, for justice to prevail and even for perpetrators to be brought to justice, for victims to get justice, then we will not agree to work with such a person. We want to see the war and economic crimes courts established in this country so that those who committed war crimes and crimes against humanity can be brought to justice.”

The support of key players will come as a relief to the executive mansion and international partners.

Dr. Barbu comes to the job with vast experience, having practiced law for more than two decades. A constitutional law scholar, and a graduate with Doctor of Juridical Science from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in the US, Dr. Barbu published the book “Liberian Constitutional Law” and co-authored a “Constitutional Treatise” in addition to publishing many literary and professional articles. He has also had a role drafting several important Liberian laws, including the Land Rights Act, the Children’s Law and the New Education Law. Working with other prominent Liberian lawyers, including Cllr. Taiwan Gongloe, he helped to draft the Local Government Act, the Code for the Commercial Court of Liberia, the Intellectual Property Law and legislation of Liberia’s ascension to the World Trade Organization.

On numerous occasions he has served as an amicus curia, or a “friend” of the Supreme court, giving expert legal advice. Dr. Barbu was also appointed by Cllr. Gongloe to chair a special committee of the Liberian National Bar Association to draft a bill for the war and economic crimes courts when Cllr. Gongloe was president of the Bar Association. He served as Secretary General of the Bar Association under the presidency of current Liberian Justice Minister, Cllr. Oswald Tweh. He ran an unsuccessful campaign for Liberian president, heading the New Liberia party in 2017, losing to President George Weah. He also failed in a bid to head the Bar Association. An associate Professor of law, Dr. Barbu has taught law at the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law for more than a decade.

While Dr. Barbu is credited with instituting important reforms at the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, he has been embroiled in academic fraud accusations, with two former professors—ex-Chief Justice Frances Johnson Allison and Lucia Diana Sonii Gbala – accusing him of submitting the names of students for graduation who had failed their exams.

At a press conference in June 2023 university authorities said they took the decision to graduate the students after finding that Dr. Barbu had done nothing wrong. Counselors Allison and Gbala did not respond to FPA/NN requests for comment on Dr. Barbu’s appointment to head the Office, as well as his credibility. The leadership of the Bar Association said it had received no complaints from Cllr. Allison or Cllr. Gbala.

One of the key requirements for the head of the Office was for the individual to be an “an astute lawyer with impeccable character.” Dr. Barbu insisted he fitted that bill.

“I’ve always ensured that what I did, I may not necessarily be perfect, but I believe I definitely do,” he said in response to a question about his integrity. “I’ve always said to people, please check my records. You don’t have to seek my approval.”

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