The confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice nominee Cllr. Frank Musah Dean and Liberia Revenue Authority Commissioner General-designate Samora P. Z. Wolokolie were halted by Senate staffers through roadblocks and storming of the Senate Annex.

Outgoing President George Manneh Weah recently nominated Deputy Minister for Fiscal Affairs Wolokolie to succeed the deceased LRA Commissioner General Thomas Nah Doe, and Justice Minister Dean to replace early retired Supreme Court Justice Joseph Nagbe.

But the staffers, led by their spokesperson Charles Brown, blocked entrances to the Annex using sticks, tires, and other debris. Their protest was motivated by demands for their share of monies allegedly paid to Senators who have been recalled twice for special sittings by President George Manneh Weah.

However, the senate leadership and other lawmakers have disclosed that the President did not provide allowances for the special sitting, though the protesters disagreed. 

In an interview with Legislative Reporters in the corridors of the Liberian Senate, President Pro-Tempore Albert T. Chie refuted allegations that the government has paid benefits for the Special Session to lawmakers as an inducement to conduct Confirmation Hearings of the President’s nominees.

Representative Alexander Goshua of Grand Bassa County had earlier told a local radio station in Monrovia that the Minister of Finance and Development Planning had said there’s no budgetary allocation for any Special Sitting.

Efforts by Senate Pro Tempore Albert Chie to address the concerns of the staffers yesterday did not yield any results. The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Senator H. Varney G. Sherman, who had scheduled the hearing for Minister Dean, was also unable to penetrate the roadblock.

In an apparent sympathy with the staffers, the outgoing Grand Cape Mount County Senator disembarked his vehicle and, following minutes of seemingly peaceful interaction with them, he decided to call it a day and headed home, but not before offering the staffers US$50 to help them purchase water for their day-long picketing.

For his part, the chair of the committee on Ways, Means and Finance, defeated Bomi County Senator Morris Saytumah, and attempted to convince the protesters, but to no avail. 

A behind-closed-door intervention by Senators Abraham Darius Dillon and a couple of like-minded Senators also did not help resolve the stalemate, as the staffers’ spokesman, Charles Brown, announced that they would continue the protest actions until their two months’ benefits are paid.

Despite the interventions of other Senators, the stalemate continued as the staffers insisted on their demand for payment of two months’ benefits.

Both nominees were reportedly seen on Capitol Hill until late afternoon.

In addition to the ongoing protest, Dean’s nomination is facing a legal challenge. The Supreme Court has scheduled a date to entertain legal arguments regarding a petition filed by the Unity Party against his nomination.

The Court has scheduled Tuesday, January 9, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. to entertain legal arguments in a petition for the writ of prohibition filed by the Unity Party against Dean, the presidential nominee for the Office of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia.

The High Court, on Wednesday, January 3, 2023, issued an assignment for the argument of the case. The case is among several others, including election cases, to be heard in the 17th Day Session of the Court next week Tuesday.

Prior to the assignment of the case, the Unity Party, through its lawyers including Cllr. Cooper W. Kruah, J. Johnny Momoh, Neto Zarzar Lighe, Moiffie Kanneh, J. Cole Bangalu, Milton D. Taylor, T. Emmanuel Tomah, and Emmanuel A. Tulay, Sr., filed a sixteen-count petition to the Court seeking the prohibition of the confirmation of Cllr. Musa Dean for the Office of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia.

Critics have raised concerns about the legitimacy and timing of the nomination, citing President Weah's earlier Presidential Directive that suspended new employment contracts and promotions during the transition period.

Supporters of the President argue that he has the constitutional authority to nominate and appoint officials until the incoming president is inaugurated. The debate also raises questions about the political prudence or expediency of making such nominations in the final days of an outgoing president's term.

Some argue that the focus should be on the character and reputation of the nominee, emphasizing competency and integrity in the role of an Associate Justice.