The Civil Society Network of Liberia (CSNL) says the nomination of the Minister of Justice, Frank Musa Dean, to the Supreme Court bench is welcoming and calls on the Liberian Senate to confirm him.
“We see the nomination of Cllr. Dean to the Bench of the Supreme Court by President George Weah as a laudable decision in the interest of justice, peace, and the rule of law,” the group stated.
Cllr. Frank Musa Dean, popularly called “Counselor Dean” is one of Liberia’s respectable legal minds and experienced public servants, whose achievements and academic credentials make him best suited to serve as one of the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court.
According to the group, Cllr. Dean is greatly admired by many Liberians, home and abroad, as one of the most respected Liberian lawyers who has always stood his ground in the dispensation of justice and the protection of the rule of law.
The Civil Society Network of Liberia is of the strong belief that Cllr. Dean’s remarkable wealth of experience in the legal field posits him as an ideal lawyer to replace Cllr. Joseph Nagbe on the Supreme Court Bench.
As one of Liberia’s leading legal practitioners, Cllr. Dean served as Founder and Managing Director of the Dean & Associates Incorporated; an Assistant Professor of Law at Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law at the University of Liberia from 1997 to 2002; a staff Counsel at the Sherman & Sherman Incorporated law office from 1997 to 2003, and Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General of the Republic of Liberia at the Ministry of Justice from 1996 to 1997.
From 1987 to 1996, this accomplished lawyer also served the roles of Legal Research Officer, In-House Legal Counsel, Deputy Managing Director, Managing Director, and Chief Executive officer at the Liberia Telecommunications Corporation (LTC).
Cllr. Frank Musa Dean also previously served as Senior Legal Consultant and President & CEO of the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) from 2001 to 2003. From 2008 to 2018, Dean served in the distinguished role of Honorary Counsel of the Russian Federation.
Regarding his educational background, Cllr. Dean is a product of some of the world’s renowned institutions, including the US-based Columbia University School of Law, where he obtained his LL.M (Master of Laws in 1990 with concentration on international Business Law).
He holds a Diploma in Telecommunications Management Studies in 1989 from the Bailbrook College, England. Prior to that, the Associate Justice designate, Cllr. Dean, obtained his LL.B. (Bachelor of Laws)1988 at the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law University of Liberia; after he got his first B.A (Bachelor of Arts) in 1985, majoring Political Science (International Relations) and minoring Public Administration at the University of Liberia in 1985. Based on his educational achievements and years of law practice, Cllr. Dean became a member of the Liberia National Bar Association in 1988, and got admitted into the Supreme Court Bar as Counsellor at Law in 1992.
The Civil Society Network of Liberia wants to state in unequivocal terms that Cllr. Dean has demonstrated a high degree of professionalism, not just in the execution of his duties as Minister of Justice but has also earned deep respect of his peers over the years as an astute lawyer.
The Civil Society Network of Liberia sees it as unwarranted and baseless assertions from some misguided individuals and critics, calling on the Liberian Senate not to confirm Dean because of Liberia’s loss of the 100 million drug case and the Gbarpolu County diamond issue.
Firstly, the Ministry of Justice, under Cllr. Dean, effectively performed its role by arresting the 100-million drugs brought into Liberia, and ensured it was burned in the full view of local and international partners, including US Embassy officials.
Secondly, Dean played no role in the diamond case beyond issuing legal opinion to the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the government agency charged with the responsibility to decide ownership of minerals.
