Judge Morgan Cautions against ‘Intimidation of Judges’

While Judge Eva Mappy Morgan of the Commercial Court at the Temple of Justice is awaiting Chief Justice Francis Korkpor's decision as to whether she will serve her one-year suspension without pay and benefits, the judge is leaving no stone unturned in exposing ills in the Judicial Branch of the Government.

Judge Morgan's suspension recommendation comes immediately after the Judiciary Inquiry Commission (JIC) investigative report found her liable for the alleged unilateral decision that authorized the withdrawal of over US$3 million out of the account of the Ducor Petroleum Inc housed at the Liberia Bank for Development and Investment (LBDI).

However, Judge Morgan, who is the president of the National Trial Judges Association of Liberia (NTJA) disclosed on Monday, May 9, during the opening of the Criminal Courts A, B, C, D and E graced by Chief Justice Korkpor that there is too much intimidation of judges in performing their functions.

Morgan did not make mention of any individual who is meddling in the functions of judges, who are responsible to ensure that justice is dispensed without fear or favor.

She said judges should be given the will to implement their respective responsibilities in line with the law that governs their functions.

In a swift response after the gathering, however, a senior Supreme Court lawyer, Cllr. Pearl Brown Bull, expressed contrarian views to Judge Morgan's accusation.

While addressing journalists outside the conference hall at the Temple of Justice, Cllr. Bull said there is no evidence to show that judges were intimidated.

"Nobody has done anything wrong to intimidate judges," Cllr. Bull said, countering Judge Morgan’s accusation.

Rather, Cllr. Bull said those who Judge Morgan accused of intimidating judges have been speaking about the behavior of judges in handling cases that appeared before them.

Cllr. Bull, however, urged Judge Morgan to speak to the truth and if they, judges, were in the wrong, she should admit that they were wrong.

"If they, judges, are wrong they should say it so that the right thing can be done,” she added.

And if they were to be wrong, they must clarify to the public that they were in the wrong for justice to be done and not to say that they were intimidated," Cllr. Bull noted.