Atty. Mulbah questions Boakai’s order on war crimes court

President Boakai signed the Executive Order this month after legislators signed and forwarded a resolution backing the court’s establishment to him.

By Lincoln G. Peters 

Monrovia, May 8, 2024: Embattled National Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman Atty. George Mulbah has questioned President Joseph Nyumah Boakai’s executive order establishing an office for the war crimes court (WECC).

In an exclusive interview with this paper on Monday, 6 May 2024, on the University of Liberia campus, Mulbah expressed hope that Executive Order #131 is not a [tool] to extort monies from international partners and donors.

President Boakai signed the Executive Order this month after legislators signed and forwarded a resolution backing the court’s establishment to him.

The former Bong County lawmaker urged President Boakai to establish the court in Liberia with security protection for victims to witness the trial.

Once the Liberian people, through their representatives, have endorsed a judicial forum for accountability, Mulbah said he welcomes it.

Atty. Mulbah said he hoped the government would not want to establish the court to run worldwide and get money from partners and donors.

“I hope this will not be the case where you will want publicity to buy sympathy to get money and use the court,” he noted. 

He suggested that the court be established in Liberia so that victims could watch the trial. He acknowledged that doing this would require security.

President Boakai signed Executive Order #131 on Thursday, 2 May 2024, to establish an office responsible for establishing a war crimes court for Liberia.

The essence is to bring to justice perpetrators of heinous crimes and crimes against humanity from 1979 to 2003.

It covers the 14-year-old Liberian civil war that took away 250,000 lives, mainly women and children. 

Atty. Mulbah described the war and economic crimes courts as an avenue of accountability, saying he anticipates that the Executive Order will do the needful.

“Our decision is now supporting the decision of the legislature; whether we say yes or no, the decision has already been made,” he explained.