Liberia: More courts, fewer cases as Magistrates tussle over cases
By AllAfrica
Published
1 min read
Some of the less populated counties have as many as 33 Magisterial Courts compared to more populated counties with only 10 such courts.
Magistrates in the rural parts of Liberia have been tussling over cases due to the creation of more Magisterial Courts in counties that are underpopulated.
Liberia's Chief Justice, Sie-A-Nyene G. Yuoh noted that the country's Supreme Court has observed that the Legislature and President, over the years, have created more Magisterial Courts in counties that are geographically small and less populated thus resulting into the clustering of these Magisterial Courts in these areas.
Some of the less populated counties have as many as 33 Magisterial Courts compared to more populated counties with only 10 such courts.
As a result of this, Magistrates in those counties are usually competing with one another for cases, since the number of Magisterial Courts is way above the needs of those counties.
The two institutions are enabled by two laws - one from Liberia's Constitution that gives the legislature power to constitute courts and a judiciary revised code that gives the President unfettered powers and discretion to expand the Magisterial Courts' Jurisdiction, designate new Magisterial areas and appoint Magistrates as he deems fit.
However, the fact that most times, those Magisterial Courts are created without the requisite budgetary allotments relative to salaries for the newly appointed Magistrates and their staffs has been considered detrimental to the country's Judiciary.
