Former Justice Minister Christiana Tah
In a major blow to the Unity Party-led government of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Justice Minister Christiana Tah has tendered in her resignation. The former Justice Minister is said to have cited a litany of reasons ranging from the undermining of her office, which prevented her from investigating allegations of fraud against the National Security Agency to a wide range of issues bordering interference from the Executive Branch.
"I cannot be the minister of Justice and not supervise the operations of the security agencies under the Minister of Justice to independently investigate allegations of fraud against the National Security Agency.
What is the rule of law if a duly appointed Minister of Justice with oversight has grave concerns about what her violational resignation will mean for her own personal security and freedom as a Liberian citizen," an excerpt of the letter of resignation by the Justice Minister.
Minister Tah's resignation letter was reportedly tendered to the government after serving the Ellen Johnson-led government for six years. Cllr. Tah told a news conference in Monrovia Monday that she had respectfully asked the President to accept her resignation.
"These are perilous times of our nation and I take solace in our resilience as a people as I pray that we learn and emerge from the challenges of our nation building stronger," she said.
She thanked President Sirleaf for the opportunity to serve her country in the capacity of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice for six years, adding: "I thanked the Liberian people for your support, cooperation and understanding in even the most difficult times."
Cllr. Tah succeeded former Justice Minister Francis Johnson Allison, who served as the first Justice Minister in President Sirleaf's government. An Executive Mansion release issued late evening yesterday said President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has received and accepted the resignation of the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Republic of Liberia, Cllr. Christiana Tah.
According to an Executive Mansion release, Cllr. Tah tendered in her resignation as Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Republic of Liberia on Monday, October 6, 2014 at a meeting with the Liberian President at her Foreign Ministry office earlier yesterday. Early this year, the Supreme Court barred Justice Minister from practicing law for six months after being found guilty of contempt.
The ruling cited Tah's decision to grant "compassionate release" to journalist Rodney Sieh, who was jailed last year in connection with a libel case, as the reason for its ruling and her suspension. In 2010, Sieh's Front PageAfrica newspaper printed allegations that Agriculture Minister Chris Toe's ministry could not account for millions of dollars, leading Toe to file a libel claim against the journalist.
Rodney Sieh was jailed in August after failing to produce the US$1.5 million that Toe was awarded by the court. The justice minister allowed the journalist to be released for 30 days in October after he was hospitalized with malaria, which critics say was not compatible with Liberian law.
Toe withdrew his claim in November. The Supreme Court called Sieh's release a disregard of the court's order despite the fact that his right to seek medical treatment while in prison was not surrendered. There have been many recent controversies involving imprisonment of and danger to journalists throughout the world.
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