Claim: “President Joseph N. Boakai withdrew Cllr. Jonathan Massaquoi’s nomination as head of the War and Economic Crime Court.”
Source: Garmai Lomo and Spoon FM
Verdict: Misleading, the Executive Mansion confirmed that Massaquoi’s appointment had not been withdrawn, as the public had claimed.
Full Text: Liberian journalists, including Garmai Lomo, a reporter for The News Public Trust, an online news platform, and Spoon Talk, have claimed President Joseph N. Boakai has withdrawn Cllr. Jonathan Massaquoi’s appointment as chair of the War and Economics Crimes Court (WECC).
The claims can be found here and here in the 2:11:24–2:25:20 of the video. The claims have garnered significant reactions and shares on social media platforms.
Massaquoi heads the litigation team at International Law Group (ILG) and previously worked for the General Auditing Agency as a legal counsel. He was appointed as the Executive Director of the Office of WECC by Boakai in June 2024.
Since the nomination of Massaquoi, there have been numerous calls for Boakai to rescind his appointment. Chief among these organizations that are calling for his removal is the Coalition for Justice in Liberia (CJL).
CJL has informed the Liberian leader that the WECC should be headed by an attorney whose character and professional reputation are above reproach.
Recently, during the 177th Independence Day celebration, national orator Dr. Robtel Neejay Pailey criticized President Boakai over the ‘dubious circumstances’ under which the Executive Director of the WECC was selected without civil society vetting or endorsement.
According to her, although Executive Order No. 131 establishing the Office of a WECC was celebrated as long overdue, it still has a short lifespan of 12 months.
“Time is of the essence but we are moving at a snail’s pace,” Pailey added, “second, the executive director of this Office was selected under dubious circumstances with apparently no civil society vetting or endorsement. This is unacceptable.”
According to Pailey, “President Boakai, I urge you to withdraw this nomination and not allow politicking to derail one of the most important appointments of your time in office. Staff the Office with upstanding Liberian human rights defenders, many of whom have been advocating in the trenches for decades.”
Verification: Boakai clarified in an Executive Mansion press release that Massaquoi remains the head of WECC, adding that he is on a mission abroad and is expected to return home with a report about the establishment of the court.
“The Office of the President states here that the Executive Director, Massaquoi, is currently on a mission abroad in the interest of the office and is expected to make a full report to the President upon his return,” the Executive Mansion stated.
Also, our researcher found a July 19, 2024, news report by the Daily Observer newspaper titled, “Cllr. Massaquoi Makes Case for War Crimes Court at UN High-Level Forum.”
The paper reported that Massaquoi was making the case for Liberia at the 2024 High-Level Political Forum in New York, focusing on the country’s commitment to enhancing the rule of law and ensuring justice for all.
According to the paper, Massaquoi highlighted the country’s efforts to uphold justice and accountability through the establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court.
Conclusion: After our research, it is established that the claim about Massaquoi removal is incorrect. He is still the head of the WECC.
