By By: The People News Online
Monrovia, Liberia –The United Nations has moved to equip Liberia’s justice sector for two of its most politically sensitive legal tests yet, donating office tools to the Law Reform Commission and announcing a full review of the country’s anti-corruption laws as the government prepares to operationalize both a War and Economic Crimes Court and a National Anti-Corruption Court.
The package, presented Wednesday in Monrovia, includes laptops, a printer and a professional camera for the Law Reform Commission. OHCHR Country Representative Christian Mukosa said the modest donation is strategic. “These laptops, printer, and state-of-the-art camera will strengthen the capacity of your team and support your continued work in reforming Liberia’s legal framework, not only in relation to transitional justice, but across many other areas of law,” he said.
Mukosa framed the support as part of a bigger, interconnected reform push. With funding from the Government of Sweden, OHCHR is also deploying a legal consultant within days to assess whether Liberia’s anti-corruption statutes are “fit for purpose” and to recommend changes grounded in international human rights standards. “We cannot focus on one reform while neglecting others,” Mukosa said. “That is why this work is so important.”
Sweden, which has backed OHCHR’s transitional justice program since January 2025, said the timing is critical. First Secretary Susanna Eluberger noted that Sweden is supporting key institutions including the Office for the Establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court, the Independent National Commission on Human Rights, and the Law Reform Commission to build what she called “a comprehensive, inclusive, and coordinated transitional justice system.”
“For future transitional justice mechanisms to hold, they must rest on a robust legal framework that is consistent with Liberia’s Constitution and aligned with international human rights standards,” Eluberger said. She added that harmonizing and codifying laws now will determine whether the proposed courts can deliver accountability without legal loopholes.
Law Reform Commission Chairman Cllr. Bornor M. Varmah received the donation on behalf of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai. He called it a milestone in Liberia’s partnership with the UN and Sweden, and linked legal reform directly to democracy and stability. “The rule of law remains fundamental to democracy, protecting rights, guaranteeing access to justice and promoting peace, stability and good governance,” Varmah said.
The dual move — equipment now, legal review next — signals that international partners are treating legal modernization as the foundation, not the afterthought, of Liberia’s accountability agenda. With the War and Economic Crimes Court and the Anti-Corruption Court both on the horizon, the Commission’s ability to update statutes quickly could decide whether the courts start strong, or start stuck.
