IPNEWS: Several Justice Actors of the Judiciary Branch of Government have expressed serious concern over the manner and form in which Jurors are engulfed in massive corruption at the various courts throughout the Country.
The justice actors, including senior lawyers and judges, are described as embarrassing and a terrible situation in the courts for what they say is the high level of corruption, especially among jurors, who are supposed to dispense justice.
Jurors are layman, who are non-lawyers but are assigned to the various courts to listen to cases and hand down verdicts based on the facts presented in court.
Recently, a jury penal hearing a case in the Civil Law Court at the Temple of Justice was disbanded and a new trial was awarded after Judge Yarmie Quiqui Gbeisay caught the jurors being tampered with as they solicited a bribe from one of the parties.
Judge Gbeisay speaking Monday, September 19, 2022, during the opening of the Civil Law Court in Monrovia had this to say about the corrupt jurors: “they (jurors) are not supposed to discuss the case with each other until they enter the room for deliberation. There was an unfortunate situation where we had a special jury trial that lasted for 12 days, but on the eve of final argument, the forelady of the Jury penal bench was caught discussing the case with another juror.”
He continued: “Unfortunately, a bailiff, who should have quietly brought the incident to me decided to engage her in argument and the opposing lawyer heard the argument and raised the alarm that the jury have been tampered with. Under the law, whenever there is an allegation of jury tampering, the Judge presiding needs to stop the case and order an investigation into the matter.”
Judge Gbeisay said in keeping with that, he stopped the case and looked into the matter. During the investigation, the matter became worst after the forelady of the jury penal admitted to opening a chart room for the jurors to discuss the case.
The judge said the action of the jurors was terrible, stressing that they were told not to discuss the case, but their action to have opened a chartroom for such purpose speaks volumes.
The Judge said under such circumstances, he decided to disband the jury and award a new trial.
According to him, the jurors are a special jury that was paid per day by a client, who wanted his case to be heard. “So their corrupt action became an embarrassing situation to the court.”
He noted that as punishment for the female juror, who initiated the corruption: “I gave her a minor punishment of US$100 fine and ordered that the court officer (bailiff) be detained at the Monrovia Central Prison for ten days.”
Cllr. Pearl Brown Bull, the senior lawyer of the Supreme Court bar, warned the jurors that they were under security surveillance to unearth their criminal and corrupt practices at the courts.
“I had an occasion where I was in a case and a juror passed by me but dropped a note right by my seat to request for money. You people come here for 42 days, but corrupting the justice system just to buy clothes and other things; you people shouldn’t try it because we have our security watching,” she lamented.
Also speaking, Cllr. Wesseh A. Wesseh, acting Solicitor General, said a legal profession is a place that must ensure that justice is always delivered be it in criminal or civil litigation.
Cllr. Wesseh said when a case is before a court and a jury penal brings down a verdict, whether liable or non-liable, the verdict stands, but said verdict must be done in keeping with the law.
He reminded his colleagues that the issue of jury tampering is not only in civil litigation, but it is now showing its ugly face in Criminal litigation.
He applauded Judge Gbeisay for his action in holding those jurors accountable when it comes to tampering and corruption.
