US Justice delegation to support WCC establishment

The arrival of the US Government interagency delegations demonstrates its commitment to help end impunity in Liberia.

Monrovia, September 24, 2024/ A United States Government Justice Delegation is currently in the country to support the establishment of Liberia’s long-awaited War and Economic Crimes Court.

The delegation, which comprises representatives from the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Global Criminal Justice, Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Justice (U.S. Attorney’s Office, Philadelphia), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, arrived in the country on Sunday, September 22.

The US Justice delegation arrived at a time President Joseph Boakai had withdrawn Cllr. Jonathan Massaquoi’s appointment as head of the newly constituted Office of War and Economic Crimes Courts followed nearly two months of public condemnation from civil society groups.

However, the delegation is also expected to strengthen U.S.-Liberian cooperation across the justice sector during its visit.

The delegation will meet representatives from the Liberian government, as well as Liberian counterparts in law enforcement, the legal sector, and civil society, to build partnerships, exchange ideas, and share experiences with regard to prosecuting complex cases in a trauma-informed and victim-centric way.

The delegation brings extensive experience investigating and prosecuting war crimes and other atrocity crimes, as well as victim support.

“We commend Liberia’s commitment to build a War and Economic Crimes Court, and we are proud to send this delegation to Liberia to support local efforts towards justice and accountability,” said Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice, Beth Van Schaack. “We stand ready to be a partner as Liberia takes on this challenge, and we hope this visit will be the start of a productive relationship, where both U.S. and Liberian officials can learn from each other.”