Claims: Presidential Press Secretary Smith Toby announced in a live press conference that the country will have its first Chief Prosecutor for Rape Cases.
” For the first time, we will have in our country …. we will have a chief prosecutor for rape cases, that person will have a space to work with the Ministry of Justice and their responsibility is to fast track rape cases,” said Smith.
FactCheck: In 2009, former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf created the Sexual Gender-Based Unit under the Ministry of Justice.
The SGBV Crimes Unit is a specially trained unit to provide a rapid investigative and prosecutorial response to complaints of sexual assault, abuse, and exploitation to justly and fairly hold perpetrators accountable and provide support to the victim.
The Chief Prosecutor manages cases in Montserrado County through the supervision of lawyers and other staff. Prosecutors provide “vertical prosecution” handling of cases; from arrest and magistrate courts through trial and appeal so that victims get to know and trust one prosecutor.
There have been Chief Prosecutors namely Cllr. Felecia Coleman, Cllr. Deddeh Jomah Wilson and Kathleen Pyne Makor, who is currently the acting sex crime prosecutor.
Rating: False
