MONROVIA, LIBERIA – In a stunning turn of events at the Supreme Court of Liberia, lawyers representing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were left humiliated and defeated after their arguments were torn apart by the Justices.
The court heard five cases regarding tenure positions on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, and this particular case involving Prof. Wilson K. Tarpeh versus the Executive Branch of government proved to be a major blow to the EPA.
The EPA lawyers had claimed that President Weah had not followed the proper procedure outlined in the EPA Act of 2003 when appointing Prof. Tarpeh as Executive Director. They argued that there was no Policy Council established to make this appointment. Additionally, they accused Prof. Tarpeh of violating Executive Order #123, issued by former President Weah, which required all Presidential Appointees to resign before President Joseph N. Boakai’s inauguration on January 22, 2024.
However, when questioned by the Justices, the EPA lawyers were unable to provide any evidence to support their claims of former President Weah’s violation of the EPA Act. In a remarkable twist, one Justice pointed out that the current President Boakai had also not followed the Policy Council in appointing Dr. Yarkpawolo, exposing the hypocrisy of the EPA lawyers’ argument.
The Justices concluded that the EPA lawyers had no standing to raise the issue of alleged violation by former President Weah.
Regarding Prof. Tarpeh’s alleged violation of Executive Order #123, the Justices determined that no violation had occurred. The petitioner, Prof. Tarpeh, presented evidence proving that he held a tenured position, exempting him from the provisions of the Executive Order that applied to non-tenured Presidential Appointees.
The ruling in this case has been deferred until next week, leaving everyone eagerly waiting for the court’s decision. This development highlights the intricacies of the legal system and the importance of presenting strong and well-founded arguments. Stay tuned for more updates.
