U.S. Reaffirms Support for Liberia's Justice Sector as Lamin-Blamo Takes Over
The Temple of Justice in Monrovia, seat of Liberia's judiciary (file photo, illustrative of Liberia's justice sector, not of a specific meeting described). Photo: Mixm4stermich, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The U.S. Embassy in Monrovia has reaffirmed its support for strengthening Liberia's justice institutions in talks held as Acting Justice Minister Cllr. Betty Lamin-Blamo settles into the role, pledging impartial prosecutions.
The U.S. Embassy in Monrovia has reaffirmed its support for strengthening Liberia's justice institutions, in discussions held as newly installed Acting Minister of Justice Cllr. Betty M. Lamin-Blamo settles into the role, according to The New Dawn Liberia. "The United States is proud to stand with Liberia as it strengthens its own justice institutions — a process led by Liberians, for Liberians," the embassy said, per the paper's report.
Lamin-Blamo was appointed on September 2 and was sworn in as Acting Minister of Justice and Attorney General around September 10-11, replacing Cllr. N. Oswald Tweh, whom President Joseph Boakai removed from the post. Her appointment is pending confirmation by the Liberian Senate. Abrahim Boimah Sillah Sr. was named the new Solicitor General in the same reshuffle, replacing Augustine Fayiah.
Lamin-Blamo previously served as Solicitor General under former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf beginning in 2014. She holds a law degree from the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law at the University of Liberia and a master's degree from Indiana University.
At her swearing-in, Lamin-Blamo pledged impartiality in prosecutions. "A case will be brought in this Republic because the evidence supports it and for no other reason," she said, according to the Liberian Observer and FrontPageAfrica. "This Ministry has one client, the Government and the people of Liberia; not any interest, however powerful."
She takes charge of a ministry handling several high-profile cases, including the prosecution connected to a $317 million cocaine seizure in July and a separate $19.3 million seizure at Roberts International Airport, as well as drug trafficking allegations against former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor. "We pledge to pursue the importers, traders, financiers, and the protectors with the seriousness this threat demands," she said of the narcotics cases.