MONROVIA - President Joseph N. Boakai has signed Executive Order No. 148, (EO #148) renewing the mandate of the Office of War and Economic Crimes Court in Liberia (OWECC-L) and committing US$2 million to fund its operations. The move came last Friday, May 2, 2025, the date the initial order establishing the office (Executive Order No. 131) was set to expire.
The move follows reports last week that the OWECC-L was operating on a shoestring budget of US$313,000 and facing difficulties obtaining timely disbursements from the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP).
The budgetary increase, according to Cllr. Jallah Barbu demonstrates the President's quest for the pursuit of the rule of law.
Barbu, the former dean of the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law at the University of Liberia, is the second to serve as the OWECC-L's Executive Director. His tenure follows the ouster of Cllr. Jonathan Massaquoi, whose appointment drew the ire of civil society organizations and human rights advocates.
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Barbu called on international partners to support the government of Liberia's efforts to bring justice to those who were victims of the war. "In essence, we have adequate funding, at least from the perspective of the government, and that should encourage our partners to also jump in and assist," he said.
Cllr. Dempster Brown, Chair of the Independent National Human Rights Commission, also thanked President Boakai for the increased funding. He then issued a strong call for unhindered access to funds, urging the MFDP to ensure the funds are made available without delay.
"The budget must not face bottlenecks. If this court is to function effectively, timely and full access to funding is essential," he said.
A long time coming... still
President Boakai had established the OWECC-L by Executive Order 131, on May 2, 2024. Its mandate: to lead the establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court (WECC) and the National Anti-Corruption Court (NACC). Once established, the WECC will prosecute persons and organizations identified as responsible for crimes committed during the nation's years of civil crisis which lasted between 1979 to October 2003. The NACC will adjudicate matters involving acts of corruption committed from 1979 to present.
The framework fulfills a succession of legal and diplomatic processes intended to secure and maintain the peace. The first was the 2003 Comprehensive Accra Peace Agreement (CPA), which brought an end to the nation's civil war. The CPA mandated the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), charged with examining human rights abuses from January 1979 to October 2003.
The nine-member commission officially completed its mandate on June 30, 2009, recommending a wide range of interventions aimed at addressing the root causes of the Liberian civil war and fostering national healing and reconciliation.
One such recommendation was the establishment of a war crimes court to prosecute those responsible for gross human rights violations and crimes against humanity committed during the conflict, and the payment of reparations for victims of the conflict.
The decision to establish the court under the Boakai regime was considered a bold first, considering his two predecessors -- Presidents Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and George Weah -- steered clear of this thorny path. The presence, in all three braves of Liberia's government of alleged war criminals and persons of interest in any ensuing investigations was considered a major cause for earlier hesitation.
But in a stunning turn of events, April 2024 saw Boakai win the backing of both the House of Representatives and the Senate to establish the court. Both houses signed a joint resolution endorsing its establishment.
But the road ahead is at least three years long.
"We are hoping that in November of 2027, our framework will be complete," Barbu told reports at a press conference responding to news of his mandate's renewal. "And then we can move forward with spreading the war and economic crime score."
Progress
Reflecting on his achievements so far, Cllr. Barbu said, when he took over, there was no office space. Then, the government leased a building with no furniture and made furniture available. Since then, he said, "the Office has conducted seminars, workshops, and retreats and established relationships with civil society organizations."
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"We now have a team that is studying; what do we do in terms of the location of the court? We have been able to have some relationship with the international community. We have produced in this office several other instruments, including reports to the president of our achievements," he continued.
Said the Executive Director, "The Office has embarked on the search for independent prosecutors, developing training manuals and programs to educate them." His team has also "begun engagement with people out of the country and institutions and stakeholders," he said.
"Our study has also extended to reparations, because we do not believe that it's all about prosecution," Barbu added.
A timely visit
The US Ambassador Mark Toner visited the Office last Monday, April 28th, in an attempt to highlight the impending expiry of the Office's mandate and the financial challenges it has faced. While he reaffirmed his commitment to advocate with his government for support to the court, he stopped short of describing the nature and extent of such support. He instead placed the onus on the Liberian government to "convince the international community because Liberia needs a war crimes court."
