Liberia: Is Grand Gedeh Unsafe?

With a growing wave of protests in Grand Gedeh County, the Judiciary Branch of Government is doing everything possible to ensure the protection of its judges and magistrates assigned there to afford justice to everyone.

The Judiciary took the stand after the home of Cllr George Wiles, Resident Judge of the 7th Judicial Circuit Court in Zwedru City, Grand Gedeh County, was attacked by protesters.

Wiles’ home was attacked when the protesters demanded him to unconditionally release from detention most of their kinsmen, mostly defendants, who are facing trial for multiple criminal offenses.

The attack comes days after some aggrieved residents and people believed to be supporters of the late Grand Gedeh County District One Representative-elect, Errol Madison Gwion.

This development could plunge the county into chaos if nothing is done immediately by the relevant authorities to intervene in the matter, some stakeholders have observed.

The protesters set the home of Senator Emmanuel Zoe Pennue ablaze amid allegations that he was linked to the death of Rep. Gwion.

“The Judiciary strongly condemns the attack on Judge Wiles' home, as it undermines the rule of law and the independence, neutrality, and integrity of the courts in the county,” The release from the Judiciary said. It emphasized the importance of accountability and seeking redress through lawful means, urging citizens to respect and adhere to the rule of law and refrain from actions that undermine fair and impartial justice.

“The action endangered the lives of the Judge Wiles’ family,” the release added.

“The court,” the release noted, “emphasizes the need for citizens of Grand Gedeh County, and Liberia in general, to be accountable for their actions and to seek redress through lawful.

“Cognizant of the fact that opinions or ruling of the courts on a particular matter may or may not appease a particular party. The court will never and can never adjudicate a matter brought before it based on sentiments, desires, whims or caprices of a contending party or the public but based on the fundamental principles of the Constitution and the controlling law,” the release  noted, "The Court calls on all citizens and residents of Liberia to respect and adhere to the rule of law and to desist from any act that tends to undermine the administration of fair and impartial justice.”

The motive behind the attack on Judge Wiles’ home is unclear, and it is uncertain whether it is connected to his ongoing lawsuits against the biological father of his late wife, Mardea Martin Wiles, that are currently before the Monthly and Probate Court of Montserrado County.

These lawsuits involve matters such as accounting, revocation of letters of administration, and sequestration.

Judge Wiles is, however, seeking the Montserrado Probate Court’s approval to revoke the letter of administration obtained by his late wife’s father, Lysander Martin, which granted him (the father) possession of her properties. But the Judiciary’s primary concern is ensuring the safety and protection of judges and magistrates assigned to Grand Gedeh County, in order to uphold justice for all.

Martin received his letter of administration from the late Judge Vinton Holder of the Monthly and Probate Court after the death of his daughter. After hearing Martin’s petition, Holder decided to grant the deceased father the letter of administration requested.

Martin’s petition also named one of Mardea’s daughters, Ojudh, and her sister as co-administratrix to her estate. In one of the lawsuits, particularly the petition for revocation of the letter of administration, Wiles argued that his wife died without a will and that they had two natural-born children and an adopted child.

But his late wife left behind properties that she owned before their marriage, to which she did not add his name. 

According to Wiles, due to the nature of his job, which regularly required him to be posted outside of Montserrado County, after the death of his wife, he “did take appropriate steps to ensure that the properties of his spouse, as well as those jointly owned by them, would be administered.